P3 Eternal Punishment
by BloodBoredom
Summary: After the tragic cliffhanger ending of "Burn My Head", will Minato Arisato be able to muster up the resolve to solve the mystery behind the Dark Hour and fight for his life in a world that has abandoned him? MinatoxAigis/Elizabeth
1. Chapter 1

_-P3-_

_Eternal Punishment_

_Note: I own nothing of Atlus' property (Persona, Devil Summoner, etc.) any likenesses to actual people in this story are purely coincidental or intentional._

_All right, schedule in school just changed and I will be able to update Fridays and Sunday in HK time. This will be a direct continuation of my previous fic, "Burn My Head". Separating it into 2 parts is due to a big genre shift due to me reading A LOT of dark fics and Gary Sue styled stories. This fic will be a combo of the two with gritty violence, sorrow and loss, but balancing it out with happy fun time feelings as it reaches the end. First Chapter will be up this Friday, December 2._


	2. Devil Summoner

_-P3-_

_Eternal Punishment_

_Note: I own nothing of Atlus' property (Persona, Devil Summoner, etc.) any likenesses to actual people in this story are purely coincidental or intentional._

_All right, schedule in school just changed and I will be able to update Fridays and Sunday in HK time. This will be a direct continuation of my previous fic, "Burn My Head". Separating it into 2 parts is due to a big genre shift due to me reading A LOT of dark fics and Gary Stu/Mary Sue styled stories. This fic will be a combo of the two with gritty violence, sorrow and loss, but balancing it out with happy fun time feelings as it reaches the end. First Chapter will be up this Friday, December 2._

_"Devil Summoner"_

"Oberon!" the mysterious mall cop called out as he threw a tube onto the floor.

_A mysterious light enveloped the second floor of the dormitory blinding all present. However, Officer Kurosawa did not turn his head away and projected a deathly gaze at the area of the light. As the light cleared from the vicinity, a humanoid form emerged with an air of royalty. The creature was Oberon, fairy king of legends old._

"You have summoned me Kurosawa?" the king spoke with reverence to his summoner.

"We can no longer hide in the shadows, Your Highness," the Summoner answered as he cocked his gun.

"Is this mortal the one troubling you? Hmph, I grow disappointed," the leader of the Fair Folk scoffed.

"His power has risen to a level that can no longer be ignored!" the police man retorted.

_"Yo kid, he's blocking the stairway, I say we test out our new pal over here." Gig suggested to the bluenette._

"Asagi!" Minato yelled, Evoker in hand.

_"Ha, I'm the main character now!"_ _A strange girl with guns akimbo squealed in_ _joy._

"You are my opponent? Zionga!" the fairy king commanded a bolt of lightning to strike from the ceiling.

"Ugh, his summons aren't just for show," the bluenette spat blood.

_"Is that enough to down the main character? I don't think so, God Hand!"_ the female Persona fired a Golden Fist which subsequently made contact with Oberon's entire body.

"Aghh, what resilience!" the lord lashed out in disbelief.

"Hmph, even Oberon isn't enough? Fine, Titania!" Kurosawa withdrew another vial from his coat.

_Another brilliant light shone across the room, Takeharu Kirijo merely stared at the battle between the two supernatural beings as another of the Fair Folk entered the fray._

"My king," the fairy woman called out, "what has happened to thee?"

"An exceptional adversary has made himself known to us..." the king could not bear to stand with his wounds.

"Mediarama!" Titania stretched her hand as a warm light enveloped her husband's wounds.

_"Ohoh! This is a true battle befitting a main character, with the villain being healed and unleashing his true power,"_ the gunslinger girl grinned in anticipation.

"My queen, is that woman...insane?" Oberon groaned.

"Very much so, husband. To look at us as if we were game from the forest," the queen grew irate.

"Oberon, Titania, make way. We can't afford to underestimate this Fool." Kurosawa stepped forward, gun and nightstick in hand.

_"Yo psychochick, switch out, the kid needs crowd control!" the psychopomp commanded his fellow Persona._

_"Fine," the gunslinger conceded._

"Gig!" the bluenette took another shot of his Evoker.

_The Master of Death materialized from the sea of the unconscious and projected a devilish grin towards the opposing group. The king and queen of the Fair Folk took this as a sign of an upcoming attack and raised their guard. Gig responded by forming a scythe of grim shape and power._

"That form!" the Head of the Kirijo Group gasped in surprise.

"What is it Kirijo-san?" Kurosawa lowered his weapons.

"Stand down Kurosawa, I have a few questions for him," the man replied calmly.

_"Huh?" the psychopomp lowered his scythe and forced it to vanish._

"You're still 'alive' after all this time huh?" the President asked Gig directly.

_"What the hell're you talking about and FYI, I didn't kill everyone in this dorm, the kid here was in Shirakawa Boulevard all night LONG." the Master of Death replied fully._

"But we have video recordings of you leaving the building, no one else was seen entering, how do you explain that?" the policeman interrogated.

"The recordings were tampered with, that much I can say," Minato spoke out.

"Then this would have to be well planned by whoever REALLY did this," Kurosawa said with hesitation, still doubting the youth's innocence.

"All of you kids are accounted for..." the President said with closed eyes, "Ikutsuki was in our Inaba bran-!"

"President Kirijo, what's wrong?" the branch member spoke in concern.

"Ikutsuki, the only one who could do something like this would be another Persona user!" an epiphany dawned upon the bereaved father.

"But Ikutuki-san couldn't use Persona," the bluenette said confused.

"He was originally working on Persona research, very few of our subjects survived, when we realized the risks involved, we stopped," Takeharu continued.

_Meanwhile..._

_"So what do you guys do besides fight everyone else?" Gig propped himself on the air, bored out of his mind._

"We rule over a kingdom of Fair Folk," Oberon stood beside his Queen.

_"So the main character converts his enemies into trustworthy allies...This is working out quite nicely," Asagi cheered._

"Not to offend you, but is this woman daft?" Titania said bluntly.

_"Crossing over from another world isn't something mortals are supposed to do, though she was plenty messed up before that," the psychopomp explained._

"That sounds quite...sad" the monarch frowned.

_"So why're you hanging around the cop?" Gig asked._

"He is of a line of summoners, he summoned us" Titania stated the obvious.

_"M'kay," Asagi hummed along, rejoining the conversation._

_Back to the drama..._

"So Ikutsuki is a sick and twisted motherf-cker, he stole some drugs from your pharmaceutical department AND he engineered this whole thing to frame me," the bluenette summarized.

"Yes, that's why we have to stop him," Kirijo continued.

"But what is his goal?" Kurosawa pondered.

"The Fall," Takeharu answered, "the end of human individuality, all will be reduced to primal Shadows."

"That doesn't make sense," Minato was at a loss.

"Not to us, but nihilism fits the bill," the elder Kirijo answered, "he was one of my father's staunchest followers."

"Kirijo-san, what's in Inaba?" Kurosawa's concern grew.

"A storehouse for old research notes and abandoned Anti-Shadow Projects," the President replied.

"So he's arming himself, huh?" the bluenette's eyes glowed with a quiet fury.

"Then we have to-*SLAM*" Kurosawa was cut off by another intruder at the door.

_A familiar young man entered the dorm and ascended the staircase, he was carrying with him a woman with long white hair and velvet garb...stained in blood._

"Senpai, we're being attacked!" Souji Seta yelled.

"We know," Takeharu answered the youth.

"No, Shadows are invading from every direction, the island's being overflown!" Seta revealed.

_Time: 6:30 A.M._

"That's not possible, Tartarus and the time-flow disturbance shouldn't have come this far!" the President exclaimed.

"We have company," Kurosawa said flatly.

_Two sets of footsteps were heard, they were heavier than those of normal humans, they progressed at a constant rhythm, another thing normal humans couldn't do. The group on the second floor piled together against the wall, staring intently at the staircase. Two figures made their arrival, one blonde and one in a papillion mask._

__"Enemies sighted!" both said in unison, rushing towards the group in a ninja-esque fashion.

_End_

AN: Sorry for the late update, schedule's been hectic.


	3. Papillion Heart I

_-P3-_

_Eternal Punishment_

_Note: I own nothing of Atlus' property (Persona, Devil Summoner, etc.) any likenesses to actual people in this story are purely coincidental or intentional._

_All right, schedule in school just changed and I will be able to update Fridays and Sunday in HK time. This will be a direct continuation of my previous fic, "Burn My Head". Separating it into 2 parts is due to a big genre shift due to me reading A LOT of dark fics and Gary Stu/Mary Sue styled stories. This fic will be a combo of the two with gritty violence, sorrow and loss, but balancing it out with happy fun time feelings as it reaches the end._

_"Papillion Heart I"_

_The series of dreadful surprises had taken their toll on Minato, the loss of SEES, the invasion of Shadows and this new threat from supposed Anti-Shadow weapons. The pair of mechanical maidens approached the group, Takeharu drew a pistol and opted to stay in the rear, Souji left Margaret in his care, joining Minato and Kurosawa._

_"What fresh hell of a mind screw is this?" Gig cursed at the universe._

"Careful, these two were designed to fight Shadows before you two started, their movements are above human," Takeharu said, cocking his pistol, "who is this woman anyway?"

"She's someone impor-" the white-haired youth was interrupted by a sudden impact to his gut.

_*Thud*_

"Holy Shit," Minato said as calmly as he could.

_The Anti-Shadow weapons were fighting the group off effortlessly, their movements were akin to those of marionettes held by a master puppeteer._

"Damn, Ikutsuki must have upgraded them," the President swore, firing a futile shot that was simply caught between the blonde unit's fingers.

"They...aren't even...using their weapons," Souji Seta observed, a pained look in his face.

"They don't need to, we're only human to them, they don't perceive us as threats," Kurosawa analyzed while dodging blows.

"Then we need to finish this before they start getting serious," the bluenette answered.

"He's right, we're fighting an uphill battle here," Souji agreed.

"Gig!"

"Izanagi!"

The two Fools yelled in unison.

_The area was bathed in a radiant light, the Anti-Shadow Weapons were forced into using their sensors to keep tabs on their targets. However, the light soon faded and the mechanical maidens were met with swift strikes from the summoned Personae. Gig had struck both of them with his scythe's **Blade of Fury **while Izanagi targeted the masked one with a strike of **Primal**_**_ Force. _**

"Re-evaluating enemy threat levels," the blonde one spoke aloud.

"Not so fast, go Oberon!" Officer Kurosawa beckoned his summon.

"Right, Ziodyne!" divine lightning erupted from the king's palm, making contact with the blonde unit.

"Sister!" the masked one faced her partner.

"You shouldn't let your guard down my dear, Garudyne!" Titania summoned an otherworldly gust of wind that caught the masked one out of balance.

"Ahh!" the brunette screamed as the wind knocked her down.

"Everyone, now is the time for an All-Out-Att-" Kurosawa was cut off by the two Fools charging towards the two Anti-Shadow Weapons with swords in hand.

_Minato and Souji were soon followed by Oberon and Titania while Kurosawa and Kirijo took clean shots at vital areas. The onslaught continued on and didn't seem to stop until..._

"Activating Orgia mode!" both foes said in monotone, gaining a red tint from the extreme heat that was emanating from their bodies.

"Oh shi-" before the bluenette could finish his curse, the masked unit made impact with a bludgeon she seemed to have drawn from out of nowhere.

_With quick action and strength of will, Minato held his ground and aimed his Evoker once more. Staring at the brunette, the high school student gasped for air as he said, "Asagi!". The gunslinger girl drew another armament from what must have been Hammerspace and stared her enemy right in the eyes, "God's Hand(Cameo Star)!". The opponent's mask was broken by the impact on the blow and revealed a pair of deep red eyes, capitalizing on this situation, Officer Kurosawa revealed a long knife from his nightstick and said only a single word, "Jackpot!" knocking the mechanical maiden towards the end of the corridor._

"Everyone, we have to get moving, the Shadows have made it to Iwatodai, my limo service is just outside," the President ordered as he carried the bleeding Margaret towards the stairway.

"Retreat order received," the blue-eyed blonde reported as she skipped passed the combatants and retrieved her "sister" and jumped out the window.

_The ragtag bunch made their way outside the dormitory if only to be greeted by a large Shadow infestation. Fortunately, the limousine was intact and the chauffeur had balls of steel and an ironclad paycheck._

"Where are we headed sir?" the hardfaced man gripped the steering wheel.

"As far from the Island as possible, now gentlemen, I'm going to make some calls to have the Island sealed off," Takeharu said as he grabbed his phone.

"What about all the people left behind?" the bluenette wondered aloud.

"There's no one left...the Shadows, they're chasing us because there are no other people left behind," Souji Seta replied with disgust.

"I can confirm that, but what I don't understand is how all these Shadows started running amok in such a short span of time," the officer scratched his head.

"Maybe it's that big, red and shiny thing from Gekkoukan," the chauffeur pointed outward.

"...Your limo driver has the "potential"?" Minato suddenly realized.

"Yes, but I don't believe he has a Persona," Takeharu answered.

"Don't cut me out of this boss, remember when Nanjou recommended me for this job? He and I go back to when demons went nuts in SEBEC," the man behind the wheel explained.

"I was suspicious as to why Nanjou-san personally convinced me on the matter," the President sighed.

"Okay, so we have a summoner and three Persona users and a few thousand Shadows after us," the bluenette groaned.

_"This is bad kid, that light over there, heralds the end of your world," Gig motioned the youth's mind towards the tower._

"Uh, my Persona just told me that we're dealing with Apocalyptic stuff here," Minato relayed the message.

"He isn't a Persona," the President rubbed his face.

"We need to start hearing the _truth_ if we're going to piece anything together," Souji demanded as he cradled the wounded woman.

"Agh..uh" the Velvet clad woman winced.

"Right...Ten years ago there was a car crash in the Moonlight Bridge," the elder Kirijo began telling his story.

"!" Minato's eyes lit up.

_A strange silence filled the room, both Souji Seta and Kurosawa knew that something was off._

"What caused the crash wasn't a truck or some such, it was caused by two otherworldly beings locked in combat," the President continued.

_"The hell?" the Master of Death grew serious._

"We dispatched the blonde unit you fought earlier as a means to neutralize both creatures, but she only managed to seal them away,"

"Where!" Minato demanded loudly.

"When she arrived the two had worn each other out, but her strength did not suffice. To alleviate this, the seal was placed. One figure simply vanished, the recording would imply that it lost much power and the other was placed inside the mind of a young boy who survived the crash that killed his parents."

"What was his name?" the bluenette grit his teeth, knowing the answer.

"Minato Arisato..." Takeharu replied.

_End_

_Exposition and Aigis' side of the story will be in the next update._


	4. Doorway to Truth I

_P3-Etertnal Punishment-_

_Since someone has finally read and reviewed this thing, I'm gonna update this series some more...  
><em>

-Doorway to Truth 1-

_Takeharu Kirijo gave a deep, deep sigh._

"Many years ago," the company president began, "the Kirijo group performed experiments on the Shadows."

"!" Minato and Souji shot up awake.

"As you know," Takeharu continued, "there was an explosion."

_The bluenette looked at the man with leery eyes._

"That explosion caused a rift in time and space," the elder man added.

"The Dark Hour," Minato answered in reflex.

"Yes," the president of the Kirijo Group crossed his arms, "the Dark Hour."

"How are we awake in it now?" Kurosawa interjected.

"The rift has only grown larger with time and whatever Ikutuki's scheming extending the reach of the distortion to space-time," Takeharu replied.

_"No shit," the Master of Death spoke through Minato, "these Shadows are the primordial essence of the human mind."_

"..." Souji Seta gazed at his sempai.

_"What? I'm feeling verbose," Gig defended._

"Our Personae are just Shadows given consistency, but Gig isn't a Shadow," the bluenette staked.

"And that is the key to solving this," Takeharu implied.

"How so?" Kurosawa held his sword firmly.

"Our scientists have analyzed the battle data from their encounters," the president coughed, "as he slays the Shadows, his power grows and also alters the environment around him."

_"Gotta admit, I think I may have accelerated all hell breaking loose out there," the Master of Death made no effort to stifle his laughter._

"Great..." Minato rubbed his eyes, "what's our plan now?"

"We'll need to break into Tartarus and end it once and for all," the silverette broke his silence, "this Ikutsuki is controlling this somehow."

"We have to do it ASAP," Kurosawa demanded, "power like this grows too strong for control."

"He's right, but I can't send you three in their tonight without a plan and on your own," Takeharu stated.

"Our own?" the bluenette asked, "You've found more Persona users?"

"There are two others out there that we've been keeping tabs on," the president replied, "though putting them on the field may not be the best idea."

"We don't really have much choice now do we?" the silverette added.

"Right," the elder Kirijo agreed, "Kido-san, what's their status?"

"Well Boss, Sanada's pal was spotted around Shirakawa Boulevard as usual while the kid was seen around the shrine," Reiji answered.

"I will handle the boy," Kurosawa offered, "he may be more willing to listen to a man of the law."

"So that leaves you two..." the president mused.

"Yeah, so what does this guy look like?" Minato inquired.

"He's a gruff-looking teen who usually wears a hat, fairly tall too," Kido answered nonchalantly.

"So is everyone else around that place..." the bluenette shot back.

"Check the back compartment, there's a pic in there," the chauffeur pointed out.

"You people scare me," Souji spoke out as he opened the compartment.

_The photo matched Reiji Kido's description of the teen in question..._

"This is-" Minato was surprised, "Akihiko-senpai's friend."

"So you've already met him before?" Takeharu hummed, "His name's Shinjiro Aragaki, he and Sanada came from the same orphanage."

"And the boy?" the policeman inquired.

"Ken Amada," a hint of distaste struck the president's palate.

"..." Kurosawa gave a deathly glare to the tycoon.

_End Chapter..._


	5. Doorway to Truth II

_P3-Etertnal Punishment-_

_Sorry for the late update to the story  
><em>

-Doorway to Truth 2-

_At Tartarus...  
><em>

_At the heights of the dark obelisk that superimposed the local high school, a group of individuals had gathered to prepare for what was to come.  
><em>

"Yo old man, what's the big idea bringing all this about?" a bespectacled teen complained towards the_ former _chairman of Gekkoukan.

"Well, everything had fallen into place quite sooner than expected," Shuji Ikutsuki answered the young lad.

"Is that why you had us recover these two _lovely ladies_ from Inaba?" Strega's leader asked their benefactor.

"Why yes, although their approach to the members of SEES was rather excessive..." the elder man sighed.

_Chidori Yoshino quietly sketched away at the eerily beautiful view of the city being overrun, the mechanical maidens standing close by._

"Excessive? I've never seen regular weapons tear through Persona users that easily, my nightmares will have nightmares," Jin laughed.

"Well, they were designed to combat Shadows, a few updates here and there let them keep up with the Persona users," the chairman pat himself on the back.

"Strong Shadow presence detected..." the brunette said mechanically.

"...Probability of survival 0.05%" the blonde Anti-Shadow weapon continued.

"Well gentlemen, ladies, let's continue our business elsewhere," Ikutsuki gave the group a disturbing smile.

"Who would've known that there was such a powerful Shadow in the Tower," Takaya mused.

_And the Reaper took no souls that night...  
><em>

_-Day 2-  
><em>

_Shirakawa Boulevard had been all but abandoned by the tougher of the undesirable crowd, fortunately for them, their weapons allowed them to fight back against the weak Shadows that appeared in the district.  
><em>

"Hey senpai," Souji Seta called for the bluenette's attention, "besides this being the general area of this Aragaki guy, do you know where he would be?"_  
><em>

"...Nope" Minato shrugged.

"So not in any of these "hotels" as we checked earlier, everyone left is pretty badass," the silverette reviewed.

"And they haven't seen him either," Arisato sighed in frustration.

_The two Persona users gazed at the horizon before them, time had progressed, but the landscape remained set to midnight._

"Eat this you freaks!" a loud voice boomed from a nearby alley._  
><em>

_Minato and Souji rushed to the source of the sound only to find an unbelievable sight before them, Shinjiro Aragaki, former SEES member, stood atop a modest pile of Shadow remains. The gruff teen looked barely phased.  
><em>

"Anyone else want some!" Shinji yelled out.

_The remaining Shadows slowly dissipated towards the direction of Tartarus._

"That's what I thought," the youth took off his beanie to fix his hair, "you cowards ain't worth Castor's time."

"..." the two wielder's of the Fool Arcana stood in awe.

"What're you punks looki-" Aragaki cut himself off, "Aki tell you to try and convince me? Shit like that won't work on me."

"Sanada-senpai..." the silverette struggled against the veteran Persona user's intimidating aura, "...passed away last night."

"Say what?" Shinji replied in disbelief.

"He along with the Mitsuru-senpai and Takeba were attacked by some other Persona users who were working for Ikutsuki...it was brutal," the bluenette continued.

"So, the old man was just another creep," Aragaki pulled his cap down to hide the water forming in his eyes, "you find that bastard yet?"

"Tartarus," Souji answered calmly.

"Tch, I ain't getting anywhere on my own so I guess I have to stick around you guys," Shinji voiced out regretfully.

"That you do senpai," Minato answered as the group walked towards the meeting point set out by Kido.

_Minato's mind...  
><em>

_"That turned out easier than expected," the bluenette spoke to the Master of Death._

_"Huh? Sorry, I've been busy figuring out what terrible pun psycho is planning," Gig answered.  
><em>

_"It was nice to have some quiet time," Minato shot back.  
><em>

_"Ha ha, enjoy your quiet time, when I'm done thinking, I'm going full bore megaphone on you!" the psychopomp retorted.  
><em>

_"Then I have a lot of time then," the young Arisato countered.  
><em>

_"Watch out for the new guy though," the Master of Death warned his host.  
><em>

_"Shinji? He's definitely on our side," the bluenette defended the misunderstood teen.  
><em>

_"Yeah, but he needs you so he can get into Tartarus, once you're in, he's going to go rogue," Gig elaborated.  
><em>

_"Then I have to make sure that doesn't happen then," Minato said calmly.  
><em>

_"Kid..." the psychopomp sighed, "the Shadows are gonna be much stronger here on out, and pretty soon, the mother of all Shadows is gonna show up."  
><em>

_"Nyx? You can take her down easy, right?" the bluenette gave his other self a confused look.  
><em>

_"Not without screwing your world over," the Master of Death revealed, "you're gonna need your own power in the end."  
><em>

_"What!" Minato stood agape.  
><em>

_"I'll still lend you guys a hand, that's why I'm taking time off to get your stuff up to speed," Gig added.  
><em>

_"Alright," the young Arisato surrendered to the voice's logic.  
><em>

_And for the first time since he was ten, Minato felt **vulnerable**, he felt...**afraid**...  
><em>

_End Chapter..._


	6. Doorway to Truth III

_P3-Etertnal Punishment-_

_Sorry for the late update to the story  
><em>

-Doorway to Truth 3-

_...Kirijo Group Secret HQ/Temporary Base of Operations..._

"So what's the plan?" Officer Kurosawa inquired.

"I dunno, the tower is screwing nature around so much that our techs can't get a clear bead on a proper course of action," Takeharu said as he lit a cigar.

"We should at least reclaim some of the areas closer to the exits," Souji Seta pointed out.

"Keep them in so they don't spread out..." Shinjiro mused, "nice plan if you know what you're doing."

"..." a young boy stared at the elder teen.

"Tch," Aragaki returned with a death glare.

"?" the bluenette stared at the new additions to the group, "how did you find him?"

"I killed a bunch of demons clustering around the park," the branch Kuzonoha explained, "he started ahead of me though."

"Amada, Aragaki," the Kirijou group's head called, "whatever happened in the past isn't important now."

"I know that," Ken clenched his fists.

"Got it," Shinji walked out for some food.

"I find it _really _hard to believe that this is the team that's supposed to fix this," Minato motioned to the group as a whole.

"There's no one else left," the silverette added, "however this ends, it ends with us."

_The bluenette stormed off to get some air..._

"He seems _changed,_"Kurosawa thought aloud.

"Up 'til now, the kid has been an exceptional asset in the battle against the Shadows," Takeharu rubbed his eye, "he isn't used to being in the disadvantage."

"It's more than that," Souji Seta replied "_Gig _said that we're gonna be up against forces even he would be reluctant to fight."

"!" the Kuzonoha's representative in Tatsumi Port Island shot up in awareness, "Power like his isn't easy to match..."

"Who is Gig?" Ken Amada asked, out of the loop.

"He's a Persona...we think," the silverette answered honestly.

"We have truly opened Pandora's box," the President despaired, "father, what more must our family suffer before we can escape your twisted ambitions?"

_"Hmmm," the boy muttered to himself, "my revenge is so close."_

_Shinjiro Aragaki's POV..._

_Shinji sat alone at the cafeteria, the staff stared at him and the aura he exuded.  
><em>

"Damn good burger," the gruff teen munched on another hamburger, "yo chef, another one!"

"..." Minato took a seat in front of Shinji.

"I ain't sharing," Aragaki said as he held his burger defensively.

"I know what you're planning to do," the field leader of SEES answered sleepily.

"And what would that be?" the gruff teen asked with a tired expression.

"Charge in all guns blazing, maybe knock Ikutsuki's head off," the blunette made elaborate gestures with his hands.

"So you gonna pull me out or try to talk me down?" Shinji looked pissed.

"Nope," Minato answered his senpai.

"What?" Aragaki looked shock.

"What you do once we're in is completely up to you, we just need you to help us get in," the bluenette explained, "this world is already done for, we're only going out in a blaze of glory."

"You must be pretty smart to have figured all of that out," Shinji muttered.

"No, I'm just a little crazy," Minato added, "what's coming is more than we have ever dealt with before."

"That what the other guy's telling you?" Aragaki scoffed, "Doesn't matter, we're gonna do what we set out to do so those 'powerful' Shadows in there can just kiss my ass."

"..." the bluenette stared at his senpai in silence.

_Meanwhile..._

"Amada, we know what you have in mind," Officer Kurosawa blocked Ken's path.

"I don't know what you're talking about officer," Ken said innocently.

"Look kid, we don't have time for this," the cousin of the Kuzonoha's rubbed his eyes, "I think we should tell you the truth of your mother's death."

"I already know what happened," the young lad began to cry, "that bastard Aragaki killed her with his Persona!"

"Not exactly," Takeharu Kirijo stated outright.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amada burst.

"The autopsy run by the Kirijo group..." Kurosawa fixed his cap.

"Revealed a striking similarity to Shadow characteristics," the President of the Kirijo group continued.

"..." Ken couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Those without the potential," Takeharu explained, "start to change when they are exposed to the conditions of the Dark Hour."

"Aragaki's Persona," the officer added, "acted on instinct by attacking her before she could change completely."

"No way!" the boy teared up, "I don't believe you two!"

"Whether you believe or not, the truth is the truth," the elder Kirijo produced a set of files in front of the small boy.

_At the Medical Center..._

"I don't believe any of this!" a young doctor said excitedly, "None of the tests we ran produced any results at all!"

"Excuse me doctor, could you keep your curiosity a little quieter please?" the woman laying in the hospital bed requested.

"O-of course, I'm so sorry miss," the doctor allowed his patient some privacy.

_As the medical professional left the room, a familiar silverette entered._

"How're you holding up?" Souji said as he sat at the girl's side.

"I'm fine, a little surprised though," Margaret suppressed a frown, "for humans to be able to injure conceptual beings."

"I know," the boy hid his face in failure, "I'm so sorry for bringing you into this."

"Don't be," the attendant of the Velvet Room held the youth's hand, "this world is due for change and you have a part to play in it."

"..." Souji looked up, expecting to see the woman in a foul mood after he had taken a short dip into despair.

_*Smooch*_

"I'm glad to have met you," Margaret whispered into the silverette's ear, "so please don't regret a thing."

"Likewise," Souji hugged the injured woman gently.

_The night was long..._

_End Chapter..._


	7. Road to Oblivion

-P3 Eternal Punishment-

_-_The Road to Oblivion-

_The ragtag bunch of misfits went through the plan one last time before heading out._

_- Get thru Tartarus' front gate, flood of Shadows included  
><em>

_- Make their way to the top of the tower  
><em>

_- Deal with the empowered Shadows in their way  
><em>

_- Find and finish off Ikutsuki and whoever else he put up to pulling this off  
><em>

_- Get Gig to fix the tear in the Space-Time Continuum  
><em>

_- If the above didn't work, do something very, **very **stupid  
><em>

_The team, if one would go as far calling this gathering one, consisted of Officer Kurosawa, Demon Summoner extraordinaire, Shinjiro Aragaki, brute force, Minato Arisato, field leader, Souji Seta, Jack-of-all-trades, Margaret, external support, and Ken Amada, plucky child-sidekick. The group armed themselves with the best that the Kirijo could offer, state-of-the-art vibration swords, impact hammers, heavily customized firearms, heat spears. To avoid unfortunate misunderstandings with the Evokers and actual guns, the scientists developed custom head gear that allows the usage of Persona. Armed and dangerous, the group heads to the emergency garage, where Takeharu stood in wait.  
><em>

"All of you," the corporate executive addressed the group, "it is because of the mistakes of the past that we face this great trial today."

_The policeman paid only the minimum amount of attention, the man had become disillusioned by fanciful speeches._

_The delinquent sighed, the world was full of empty promises in his eyes.  
><em>

_The quiet one looked sleepily at the man, unsure of what to believe.  
><em>

_The honest one held a firm gaze at the man, unwilling to believe any more lies.  
><em>

_The mysterious woman gave an unsettling smile, wonder at what could be humanity's last great assemblage._

_The boy, the boy just curled his hands into a fist, impatient for his revenge.  
><em>

"Right now," Takeharu took a deep breath, "we are facing enemies far stronger than any we have ever faced, with powers we cannot begin to fathom, but we will persevere and we will win."

_After the president's brief speech, the group headed into a heavily armored van, provided by the Kirijo Group of course. Outfitted with the intent of being fielded in wartorn countries, the van instilled some measure of confidence to its passengers.  
><em>

_*Bump*__  
><em>

_"Really rough ride, eh, guys?" the Master of Death's voice projected in the air.  
><em>

"At least we don't have to deal with that hell out there," the bluenette pointed at the mass of Shadows devouring the landscape.

"I can see that you've decided to grace us with your presence," Kurosawa joked uncharacteristically.

_"I've been busy numbnuts," Gig replied to the cop, "working on a special Anti-Shadow Persona in the kid's head takes a lot out of my beauty sleep."_

"Aren't Personae supposed to be Anti-Shadow in the first place?" Ken wondered.

_"That's a common misconception on your part," a feminine voice said over the intercom, "Personae are Shadows that have been accepted by their wielders."_

"Manifestation of the masks we choose to wear in front of a cold, unfeeling world, right?" Shinji said in a disgruntled voice, "Ikutsuki kept saying shit like that since way back when."

"..." an uneasy silence came over the young Amada.

"Then an Anti-Shadow Persona is what exactly?" the silverette in the troupe asked curiously.

_"It's a Persona that manifests all the destructive intent, the hatred, the anguish, and vengeance of its wielder," the ghastly voice answered, "it is a being of pure unstoppable fury."_

"That's not gonna have any long lasting effects on me is it?" the bluenette's eye twitched at the revelation.

_"I honestly can't say," Gig's tone changed drastically to reflect the direness of the situation, "Personae are usually determined by the sum of someone's aspects, focusing on just one aspect would leave no room for the rest of you."_

"So I'll be a creature of anger at that point, like the Hulk?" Minato rubbed his eyes in clarification.

_"Even I can't answer on how this freaky shit'll turn out," the psychopomp replied, "the only thing I can say is that this crazy fuck right now has the kind of power to lay waste to the dumbass enemy that's hiding in that damned tower."_

"Oh my," Margaret's voice turned grim, "I can honestly say that Elizabeth's guest is truly fascinating to be able to do something like this outside the power of the Velvet Room."

"Wanna keep him?" the boy said sleepily, "He's been driving me insane since he got stuck in my head."

_"Aw, I really did make your life miserable you whiny emo fuck," Gig announced happily, "I wo-"_

"We'll have to test out Gig's new toy soon," Souji interrupted, "the Tower is just around the corner."

_The group gazed at the small window of the van, the very image of terror began engraving itself into the minds of the unlikely heroes. Carrying their armaments over their shoulders and taking their last look of the sane world, the Shadow Entity Elimination Squad braced for impact._

_*Crash*  
><em>

_Deciding that subtlety was useless at this point, the adrenaline fueled Reiji Kido, former Persona user and currently the man behind the wheel of an incredibly expensive and one-of-a-kind 'battle' van, rammed said irreplaceable piece of technological advancement into the front door of the Tower.  
><em>

"Alright boys," the reckless driver turned to face the passengers in the backseat, "go ahead and do what you have to do, I can more than take care of myself here."

_Taking the chauffeur's cue, Officer Kurosawa kicked the doors open and initiated the assault by cutting down a Magic Hand in half and summoning Oberon and Titania into the fray. _

"Yagh!" Shinjiro let loose an inhuman battle cry as he bludgeoned three Maya at once, "Stay down you worthless bastards!"

"Let's do this," the silverette said jumping out of the van, "Izanagi!"

_The Japanese deity appeared from the recesses of Souji's mind, unleashing a flash of lightning at a Venus Eagle, frying the unfortunate avian to ashes._

"Move now," the bluenette drew his sword and began cutting a path to the stairwell for his companions to traverse, "the more time we spend here..Gaaah!"

_Minato grasped his head with his free hand, a surge of pure pain overcoming his self-control._

_"What is this?" the once stoic facade of the boy broke down, "Where am I!?"  
><em>

_"You've got more Personae than your little friends, kid," the psychopomp appeared, "That shitty feeling right now, the stabbing and unholy pain in your head, those are the maddening ramblings of our old pal Ikutsuki, you're just more sensitive than they are right now."  
><em>

_"The hell did the bastard do?" the bluenette almost coughed up blood.  
><em>

_"Someone's put the sick fuck up to this," Gig hypothesized, "and that someone's given him the resources and more importantly, the power to do this."  
><em>

_-Tartarus 5th Floor-  
><em>

_The group was beginning to feel the fatigue of battling their way thru the endless waves, the ever shifting layout of the Tower was scratching at the group's sanity.  
><em>

"This tower houses an extreme distortion in spacetime," Souji began pondering, "for all we know, Tartarus could be much larger than we see it from the outside."

_"Yo guys," Reiji spoke thru the communication lines, "you might wanna move faster, HQ says that the Tower is starting to make things permanent."  
><em>

"The hell do you mean by permanent!?" Shinji yelled impatiently as he knocked down a Gigas with a headbutt.

_"He means that the properties of the Dark Hour are flooding into regular time," Margaret explained, "unless you can reach the top within the next 48 hours, then this will be the new normal."_

"This is getting worse," Ken admitted as he pierced thru a couple of Maya, "Isn't there an elevator or a teleportation device in this place?"

"It's just by the corner, but..." the silverette was cut off by gunshots that drove the lesser Shadows away.

_Turning their heads in the direction of the shots, the team saw a brunette with a polearm and a large cannon attached to her arm, cold steel reflected in her eyes._

"This is Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon Number 32-X 'Metis'," the girl said mechanically, "targets have been found, preparing to engage."

_"This is it kid," Gig said to Minato alone, "this bitch is going down!"_

"Activating Orgia mode," the mechanical maiden announced as she released her limiter, "commencing battle."

_-In Minato's Mind-_

_"Kid, to draw out the sick bastard I made, you're going to have to focus and summon him with your own power, no Evoker, no magic from me, it's all you," the psychopomp pointed at the bluenette.  
><em>

_"Got it," Minato nodded.  
><em>

_"Think of all the shit we've been thru, from the very beginning to now," Gig smirked, "and pay that son of a bitch Ikutsuki with interest."  
><em>

_-Tartarus 5th Floor-  
><em>

"Enemy neutralized," Metis stared blankly as she knocked Ken out of the fight, leaving a bruise on the kid's chest.

"You," the bluenette whispered grimly.

"Senpai?" Souji lowered his guard, something was off.

"I can never forgive you," Minato's gaze did not elicit any response from the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon.

"Enemy power levels rising," the brunette took a defensive stance, "increasing Orgia mode output by a factor of one."

"I'll kill you," the bluenette stopped in his tracks, raising both arms to his face, "with my own hands!"

"External armament delivery on schedule," the mechanical maiden stared into space.

_Beside the obstacle barring the team's path, a package had appeared, containing guns, ammo, arm mounted spears and propellant tanks conveniently packed together into a heavily armored external weapons system dubbed 'Fortress'.  
><em>

__"That kind of firepower can level this whole floor," Kurosawa said, "but she's blocking the only way out of here."

"She knocked the kid out, he won't be doing much when he decides to wake up," Shinji groaned, "think we can take her?"

"Come on, come on, come on!" the team leader screamed uncharacteristically, _"This is for Akihiko, Takeba, Asshat...and Mitsuru."_

___The remaining Shadows were stunned by the incredible demonstration of will.  
><em>

__"I'm right here," an otherworldly gust of wind blew in the Tower's interior, the bluenette's hair coming unkempt, his hidden eye turning a bloody red, "SKEITH!"

_A great darkness devoured the floor where Minato stood, a vagueley humanoid shape erupting from the ground, with three 'eyes' on its head and a sinister scythe in his hands._

__"**I ART THOU, THOU ART I, FROM THE SEA OF THY SOUL I COMETH,**" the creature's voice boomed, "**I AM SKEITH, THE SHADOW, NOW, LET US SHOW YOUR ENEMIES, THE TERROR OF DEATH!**"

_-End-_

__Been a while, for those unfamiliar, Skeith is the name of the epitaph summoned by Haseo (voiced also by Yuri Lowenthal) in .Hack/G.U.


	8. Determination and Drive

-P3 Eternal Punishment-

-Determination and Drive-

_For a few moments, Minato stood face-to-face with the now heavily armed Metis, Shinji, Souji, and Kurosawa stood in awe at the mere presence of the two combatants._

"This guy had power like this the whole time?" Shinji said in disbelief.

"It's...It's incredible," the policeman stated, taking a step back, lest the boy's aura damage his mind.

"Its presence alone..." the silverette gripped his sword tightly, "is greater than any Persona or Shadow that I've ever seen before."

"Measuring enemy power levels," the brunette spoke quietly, "scan has returned no results, beginning attack."

_The mechanical maiden lifted her arms and began firing heavy munitions at Minato. The bluenette effortlessly dodged most strikes and cut down the shells that came too close to dodge._

"Is that all you've got?" the SEES field leader taunted the girl, "I can do this all night long."

"Permission granted for high speed combat," Metis shifted her stance, the mobile weapons platform attached to her back reconfigured to reveal three small propellant tanks and two thrusters by the shoulders.

_In the blink of an eye, the brunette boosted herself to be a hair's breadth away from the bluenette's face._

"Senpai, watch out!" Souji yelled out, calling Izanagi to summon lightning which the mechanical maiden dodged at the last moment.

"Multiple targets selected," a visor dropped on the girl's face, a HUD activating and focusing on the other members of the team, "firing hellfire missiles."

"Hey, your fight's with me!" an irate Minato yelled with fury as Skeith swiped at the mechanical maiden with its scythe.

_Metis failed to dodge in time, the missiles having left their pods, met with the razor edge of the scythe, detonating on contact, and by extension, damaginf the girl._

"Overall combat ability reduced to eighty percent," the brunette winced, "enemy threat level raised, activating rail cannon."

"Rail cannon?" Shinji wondered, "Huh, I can take that."

_With his impact hammer in hand, Shinji willed the modified Evoker system to life, summoning Castor and striking at the girl. However, the rail cannon was charging since the rough battle with Minato, the beam nearly obliterating Castor._

"Damn, bitch didn't even need to charge up," the boy clutched his beanie with one hand.

"Shinjiro-san!" the silverette called out, summoning a healing Persona to mitigate the damage the other man received.

_Metis paid no heed to the others, Kurosawa was busy taking down the surrounding Shadows, Ken was already unconscious, Shinji being healed by the boy with glasses, which left the bluenette to face her alone._

"I might have been an ass to those guys at the dorm," the bluenette began speaking, his gaze cemented on the ground, "but in some weird way, I guess you could call them my friends."

"Resuming combat with primary target," Metis announced with vigor as she charged Minato once more.

"And I'm sure that you had a hand in killing them all," Minato clenched his fist tightly, fixing his gaze on the charging enemy, "let's do this, Skeith!"

_Blow for blow, the two combatants were locked in a deadly duel, with each hit landed, the other exploited the openings generated. The battle continued on in such a manner that both Minato and Metis were covered in bruises._

"Didn't think a human could do that much damage to you?" the bluenette did not bother to suppress the sadistic grin forming in his face, the boy unaware that his hands were bleeding.

_The mechanical maiden kept her silence, although the boy's words rang true, the brunette's armor was the only thing that kept her from keeling over on the floor._

"Tactical retreat order received," the Anti-Shadow weapon reported as she purged her armor, the smoke produced covered her escape.

_Minato's new Persona, Skeith, stood over the boy, its presence sending Shadows into a panic. The others in the group breathed sighs of relief  
><em>

"That's right, you better walk away," the normally quiet boy fumed at his enemies, his bloodlust remained unsatisfied.

_The boy realized how grave his wounds were at that moment, taking a moment to see all the punishment he received at the brunette, at Metis' hands. The Terror of Death lowered its head, gazing at his summoner until the boy gave it his attention. After a few moments that seemed like an eternity, Skeith threw its scythe and let loose mighty rays of destruction that forced all the Shadows into a single corner._

"Drain," Minato ordered absentmindedly.

_And the epitaph obeyed its master, turning its forearm into some manner of cannon and firing it at the Shadow collective and obliterating them completely. The normal dispersion of Shadows was foregone in this instance as the mass of darkness split apart and began converging at the boy's location._

"I see," the bluenette grinned, somewhat in defeat, "this is what has to be done."

_The mass of darkness then violently crashed against Minato, the team members looked on in horror, Ken awakening only to view a nightmare. With each blast of darkness shooting thru him, the bluenette's wounds were closed with no signs of scarring, his face wincing at times when the forces were too strong._

"What's happening?" Ken asked aloud as he stared at that which he could not begin to understand.

"He's eating them," Souji answered as he righted his glasses, "he's draining their power and taking it as his own."

"Keep an eye on him," Kurosawa said suspiciously, "he might grow into a greater threat than what we set out to end."

"With power like that," Shinji growled at the wounds that covered his body, "he can finish this fight on his own."

_By the time that the darkness had been fully taken in by the boy, the remaining humans realized that he was no longer the same person that they came into the Tower with. The boy's hair was now a chalk white, his irises a blood red and his skin had become noticeably pale. One could easily mistake him for the specter that resided in his consciousness._

"What are you staring at, are we heading up or not?" the former bluenette asked his comrades.

_In dead silence, the rest of the group followed their field leader._

_-Elsewhere-  
><em>

_Something else was happening at the higher floors of the tower, a distraught Ikutsuki was yelling at a group of youngsters.  
><em>

"This is impossible!" the betrayer fumed, "there's no way that they could defeat Metis that easily, not after all the enhancements I had made."

"It looks like these promising individuals have surpassed your expectations," a shirtless man grinned.

"Medea says they're moving fast," a redheaded goth girl yawned without a care, "they will be hear in two hours."

"That's over two hundred floors! Takaya, we didn't sign up for this" a youth in a green jacket yelled in disbelief, "You better have a plan for this Ikutsuki."

"Don't be so rash Jin, I'm sure that Ikutsuki-san has a plan," Takaya grinned at the adult, a grin that the three teens would not tolerate another failure, "remember what you had us claim at Inaba Ikutsuki-san?"

_The bespectacled man erupted in mad laughter at the reminder._

"Yes, yes," the man could not suppress his twisted joy, "I suppose there's no other time to use it and it should teach those misguided fools the meaning of despair."

"Wait," Jin opened his silver briefcase and drew out an inch thick mass of paperwork which he proceeded to read thoroughly, "isn't this incredibly dangerous?"

"But of course Jin," Ikutsuki answered, "our little friends are becoming quite a handful, there isn't a better opportunity to use this, you of Strega should understand this simple truth."

_The three members of Strega and the mad scientist stared malevolently at the two Anti-Shadow Weapons they had guarding the room._

_-Tartarus 17th Floor-  
><em>

_The Extinction Team was able to breathe a collective sigh of relief since the appearance of Minato's new Persona. Skeith's ability to absorb the Shadows' energy was not limited to his summoner alone, by allowing the remnants of power to simply flow around, anyone could absorb the power as long as they neared the particles.  
><em>

"I find this all too unreal," Ken said to the others, "we're scaling an infinitely large tower, with magical powers and to top it all off, we're not even tired."

"You want me to stop draining them?" Minato asked coldly, "Skeith isn't even anywhere near exhausted, neither should you."

"Senpai, I think the anger is getting to your head," Souji blocked his pale upperclassman's path, "switch out with another Persona for a bit."

"You don't understand at all," the now silverette informed his unofficial second-in-command, "what happened wasn't like a switch that could be turned on or off."

"The hell're you saying!?" Shinjiro bashed the former bluenette's face with his mace, as the senior SEES member suspected, the damage just healed, "You aren't human anymore? Prissy shit like that is worthless, ain't no one that can decide whether or not you're human, not God, not the Devil, and not even you!"

"Shinjiro-senpai..." the leader stared emptily at his hand, "this, what the hell!?"

_-Minato's mind-_

_"Aw, you're having an existential breakdown?" Gig spoke to the boy, "Look on the bright side, you're a splitting image of me."_

_"What is up with that anyway?" the boy asked, still a bluenette in his own mind.  
><em>

_"You're starting to accept my power, that fragment of Death that got split off when I fought Shadow Dragon monster ten years back," the psychopomp grinned, "takes your body's place as a sacrifice."  
><em>

_"Why?" the boy doubted, "Why turn me into some kind of god!?"  
><em>

_"Because I like you too much kid, you enjoy the same brand of chaos that I do," the Master of Death, "this fight, kid, this fight has no victory unless you give up your life to take Nyx's place."  
><em>

_"Take its place?" Minato asked once more, his mortal mind incapable of taking in too much in too short a time._

_"Nyx is a force of nature, a necessity, taking her out of the picture needs a big sacrifice," the psychopomp's usually unhinged demeanor was completely absent at this point.  
><em>

_"..." the boy nodded before returning to reality.  
><em>

-Reality-

"You okay son?" Officer Kurosawa stared at the youth, a pile of fallen Shadows behind him, Minato unaware that he had suddenly gone silent.

"Just had a talk," the now silverette eased his companions' worries,.

"What did the _other guy_ say?" the little boy asked, his spear gutting another Shadow.

"..." Minato searched for a good excuse to avoid worrying the group, "He said...That this ends tonight."

_-End-_


	9. The Curse of Darkness

-The Curse of Darkness-

_The group was steadily advancing the cursed halls of the Dark Tower, easily finishing off the Shadows that stood in their way. The now pale-skinned, silverette Minato Arisato headed the group in its relentless charge. Undeterred by fatigue or hopelessness, the small team was stopped by an unexpected obstacle.  
><em>

"Is this them, Medea?" said a redheaded girl that blocked the teams advance.

"...GwOoaAh..." the apparition behind the girl violently shook

"You're one of Ikutsuki's pawns aren't you!?" Minato yelled.

"She is, been wondering where those punks were getting their supply," Shinjiro scowled.

"Supply?" Ken Amada gazed at his sworn enemy.

"The drug that stops Personae from going wild," Kurosawa explained, "that's why the Kirijo resorted to sending you kids to Tartarus."

"Shinjiro Aragaki," the girl mumbled, "Takaya extends his invitation for you to join Strega, it's still open if you choose to come now."

"Tch, tell that hippie Jesus wannabe that he can take that invitation and shove it straight up his ass!" the gruff teen yelled aloud, clutching his face as he winced in pain, "Dammit."

"You haven't had any medication since we last met, have you?" a sickening grin formed on Chidori's face.

"Aragaki-san!" Souji rushed to Shinji's aid, "He's bleeding out of his mouth!"

"What!?" the young boy screamed, not out of concern, but of frustration.

"Amada, there are many people with the potential to use Persona," the officer began, "but only few of them are able to do so without the side-effects."

"Shit..." the high school senior cursed, "I'm going to kill you."

"Really?" the redhead said questioningly, "the Shadows here understand me, they won't let me fade away."

_With that cryptic statement, the Shadows quickly rushed to Chidori's side and began forming a protective wall of darkness._

"What the hell are they doing!?" the leader didn't allow himself to blink, something was very off.

"The Shadows..." Ken Amada stepped back, "they're protecting her?"

"It looks that way," Souji said, drawing a tarot card that shone with a brilliant blue light, "go Takehaya Susano-o!"

_Invoking the name of the Storm God, a green clad figure materialized behind the silverette, floating with the aid of two shuriken, and protected by a large sawblade floating around it, crowned with a magnificent sphere of flame that shone brilliantly in the room._

"So, you can summon many Personae as well," the voice of Chidori erupted from the mound of darkness, "then hiding on here just won't do."

_Taking the summoning of Susano-o as a challenge, the wall of Shadows reformed into a form reminiscent to that of Medea. A form which could vaguely be called human, the mass of Shadows now formed into a single being with the expressionless form of Chidori Yoshino chained to the creature's face, wreathed in flames as its gown and a demonic blade held by a sinister hand, the creature roared before speaking in a chilling voice._

"**I am a Shadow, the True Self!**" the amalgam of Chidori Yoshino and the countless Shadows spoke, "**Only ****b****y sacrifice can the true path be opened!**"

"My God!" Kurosawa winced before drawing two tubes from his coat, "I can feel its power, it rivals our combined might!"

"So?" the former bluenette said flippantly.

"Including yours," the cop stated before dodging a pillar of flame the monster conjured.

"**With your sacrifice, The Fall shall come to save humanity!**" the monstrosity continued speaking.

"How can the end of the world save us!?" Ken blocked the giant's blade with his spear, "I don't understand you!"

"She's just a messed up bitch kid," Minato said as he struck at the monster's spear, "and we've gotta put her down now."

"Youthful Wind!" Souji yelled out and the form of Susano-o dashed around the battlefield, closing his allies' wounds and sharpening their reflexes.

"We can move fast enough," Shinjiro thought aloud, "go for the legs!"

_Nodding in silent approval, a reluctant Ken Amada and a calm Kurosawa evaded the pillars of flame and struck the creature's legs with their weapons as well as their magic, forcing the girl chained above to screem._

"Aggggghhhhhhhh!" Chidori broke her stoic expression, "Medea, don't...not yet, we can...still fight."

"**Children of man, why do you fight your wishes?**" the entity questioned, "**Why do you struggle against your chosen fate!?**"

"Chosen fate?" Kurosawa pondered as he threw his prepared tubes at the ground, "How is this for fate...Cu Chulainn! Odin!"

_In the blink of an eye, two great warriors appeared to aid the heroes._

"Strike now, both of you!" the Devil Summoner ordered as he parried one of the creatures claws and shot at one of the numerous tendrils that indicated the weakening state of the hybrid Shadow/Persona.

"Gungnir!"

"Gae Bolg!"

_Both Demons cried out at the same time, throwing their legendary weapons at the enemy, making impact at its chest, the velocity of the blows enough to force the creature into the defensive._

"Keep moving," Souji stated, his eyes affixed on the tendrils that were beginning to increase in number, "Takeji Zaiten!"

_Clutching his face, the boy from Inaba summoned a great warrior clad in white and the Persona took several swings at the enemies before him, knocking them back with little effort. _

"This is..." the boy fixed his glasses as he turned his back on his enemies and sheathed his blade, "...The Man's Way."

"**This has gone on for long enough!**" the monster roared as it released a massive explosion that forced the group on the defensive.

"Dammit," Minato cursed under his breath, "it still has this kind of power!?"

"This means that the rest of them have stopped taking the pills too," the elder teen stated as he stood his ground, "her Persona is completely taking over."

"Then that means..." the group's lancer picked up on the implication, his face aghast.

"...She's going to die soon," Kurosawa finished as he fixed his cap, "if not by our hand, but by the strain of wielding that much power."

"Yes, Medea," the redhead moaned, "let's be together...forever."

_Paying close attention to their enemy, the group was not expecting the mass of Shadows to compress to the size of the young woman that barred their path. Pulling herself together, Chidori Yoshino was now clothed in nothing more than darkness and flames, her axes growing to the size of her forearms._

"She's going to be faster now," Souji informed the group as he blocked an oversized ax aimed at his neck.

"Why?" the girl cried out, alternating her strikes between Souji and Ken, "Why won't you die?"

"How about this!?" the team leader asked his enemy as Skeith turned its right arm into a cannon and launched a massive energy blast.

"Waaaarrgghh!" the redhead thrashed as her right arm was blown off in a single attack.

"Seta, strike now!" the police officer ordered as he made two quick swipes at the fireballs that the woman had just set in his direction.

"Understood Kurosawa-san!" the silverette clutched his face once more, summoning a familiar blue to his hand, "Kamui-Moshiri!"

_As quickly as its name was called, the abode of the god worshiped by the Ainu appeared to the young man's aid, in the shape of a rocket, there was little room to guess as to what it would do next._

"Attack!" Souji ordered his Persona, obeying immediately, Kamui charged at the enemy releasing multiple volleys of Ice Magic, "Kamui Miracle!"

_Sadly, the randomness that governed Kamui's special attack forced both the team and their enemy to be knocked down to the ground._

"The hell!?" Aragaki cried out as he was forced down on the floor, "What kind of skill is that?"

"That isn't important right now," Kurosawa interrupted, "she's been knocked down, there's no better time to strike."

"Right!" the group yelled in unison as they charged the downed Chidori.

_-Chidori's Mind-_

_"Is this the end Medea?" the redhead sobbed._

_"..." the wild Persona nodded quietly._

_"Do you think we can meet him again..." the goth mumbled, "...the boy from the station...The one we burned last night?"_

__"..." Medea remained silent.  
><em>_

_"I hope we can meet again," Chidori said as she slowly closed her eyes, "under better circumstances..."  
><em>

_-Reality-_

"Junpei..." the demented Persona user whispered her last words as she began to vanish.

_Having exhausted much of their combat power, the team were forced to take a long overdue rest in the 50th Floor, nearly collapsing after their enemy had been done in._

"Haa," Minato strained, "think anyone else can do that?"

"Most likely," Kurosawa answered as he took out a bottle of drinking water to quench his thirst, "although from the looks of this girl, she was just an analysis type."

"Analysis type?" Shinji sat up with eyes nearly popping out, "Then again, Mitsuru was always the scariest one in the group."

"Yeah," Ken leaned on his spear for support, "I can't even imagine how strong the others are."

"Do any of you know how much further we have to go?" Souji wondered aloud, his sword sheathed beside him.

_"Analyzing the Tower's structure," Margaret said over the intercomm, "sorry, the comm lines were down for a bit, so we could only repair them now."_

"Margaret-san," the precocious lad spoke over the comm line, "do you know how many more floors we have left?"

_"Two hundred thirty six," the Velvet Room's attendant said flatly, "to defeat of the enemy Persona user has retarded the effects of the distortion, so you may rest for an hour with around three hours extra for scaling the Tower."_

_"Damn," Gig yawned, "I missed all the action, and I need me some hotpods."_

"You were asleep?" the former bluenette raised a barely visible eyebrow.

_"You think harvesting parts of your soul without killing you is easy?"_ _the Master of Death retorted, "By the way, Skeith should be down for a bit."_

_As if in accordance to the Psychopomp's will, the foreboding Persona retreated into the sea of the boy's consciousness, followed by the return of Minato's distinctive features._

"You mean all that was temporary?" the sleepy teen said with irritation.

_"Nope," Gig answered, "it's more on the side of Skeith guzzling down so much power that he can't be maintained unless there's a fresh batch of Shadow on the menu."_

"ZzzZzzz," the loud snoring of the transferee from Inaba interrupted the conversation.

_"Sorry about that," Margaret apologized, "he isn't quite adapted to this environment, please take a rest, you have over a hundred floors to scale soon."_

"That sounds like a good idea," Minato said as he collapsed on the floor, joining his kouhai in dreaming of more peaceful times

_-End-_


	10. Awakened Resolve

P3 Eternal Punishment

_Old Faces_

_The team was able to rest for an hour, Chidori's defeat somehow slowing down Nyx' arrival._

"Get up dumbasses," Shinjiro growled as he kicked Minato and Souji awake.

"Let's get moving again, we don't know the outside condition here," Kurosawa stated as he summoned a High Pixie to fully heal everyone's wounds.

"Senpais, Kurosawa-san, look up," Amada pointed upwards as the staircase became continuous, forming a one way route to the top.

"A'right you dipshits," Gig yawned, "seems like my plan worked."

"There was a plan?" Aragaki raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Shyadap, Asshat!" the Master of Death frowned, or at least he gave off that impression, "I made a bid for Nyx' power in your world."

"I see," Seta rubbed his chin, glasses reflecting the eerie light of Tartarus, "by devouring Shadows, you're planning on usurping the Night Mother's powers."

"Nyx is the source of those monsters," the child pointed out, "so if they get to her, she'll get stronger, but having them 'eaten' would prevent her from regaining her full power."

"I don't know whether to be impressed or disappointed that the kid here managed to figure this out before the rest of you," the psychopomp sighed as Minato got off his back.

"Let's renovate this Tower's ass!" the bluenette said excitedly as the team began to march forward once more.

_-Meanwhile-_

_Takeharu Kirijo did not expect any more business meetings considering that Port Island was blocked off from the world by a localized distortion in time and space._

"You are-?" the stern man was taken aback by his sudden visitor.

"Kei Nanjo," the man waved, "you have my condolences."

"You've heard about my daughter then?" the one-eyed executive sighed as he lit a cigar, "No time for a father to even mourn."

"Yes, but I'm here for something else entirely," the bespectacled young man answered, "Kido gave me a call while I was in town, my friends and I found a way in, but it only works for us."

"Is that so?" Takeharu tried to hide his shock, _"This is bigger than we originally thought."_

"We'll be able to buy the others some time and take down those Shadows still around the city," Nanjo added as he took a Velvet colored key from his pocket.

_-Tartarus Lobby-_

"That all you got bitches!?" Kido swore as he downed four Shadows in one vicious strike.

"You won't be able to stop us!" an unseen assailant announced as a grenade landed near Reiji's feet.

_The projectile exploded violently, incinerating a few nearby Shadows._

"Ha, a punk like you shouldn't be playing with sparklers," the first generation Persona user laughed.

"How's this then!?" the mysterious man yelled as he landed on top of a silver briefcase, his eyes glowing red, "Moros!"

_Much like the affair with Chidori, the surviving Shadows clustered around the death seeker as he 'boarded' his Persona like a giant mecha._

"Aw, fuck me," the chauffeur sighed as he clenched his fists, before something moved by the corner of his eye, "is that a dog?"

"Arf!" a white Shiba growled as it managed to swipe at the Strega member before he could complete his fusion with his Persona, "Awoo!"

_With an eerie wind, black flames burst from around the dog and a three-headed beast emerged from the dark ashes._

"The dog has a Persona!?" Reiji slapped himself to make sure if he wasn't dreaming, "Hey boy, wanna take down that ugly beyblade wannabe?"

_The Shiba raised its right paw in approval as it stood side by side with the veteran warrior._

_-Back to the Team-_

_The spiral staircase that appeared did not deter the stronger Shadows from the higher floors from attacking the group. But the difference in strength since the arrival of Skeith was very apparent._

"They can keep up with us," Ken frowned as he parried two Gigas-type Shadows with his spear.

"No shit, kid," Shinji grunted as he flipped a Table over the abyss, "you two got anything that can deal with this?"

"Skeith's keeping us alive!" Minato pointed out as he thrust his blade, impaling a pair of Twins.

"Izanagi and the others are all I have," Souji stated as he used lightning to fry a few of the weaker Shadows, "Margaret even supercharged my powers before we left, said that I'd need to kill a thousand Shadows for it to stick."

"I'm curious though, what did Ikutsuki get from Inaba?" the precocious child inquired.

"Lot's of stuff," Kurosawa answered, "pills, evokers and enough guns to start a small war."

"Damn," Minato came to a halt as an obstacle barred the team from continuing on, "it's her."

_The sight of the blonde Anti-Shadow Weapon armed with missile launchers, hip mounted rail guns, machine guns strapped to her shoulders, and many more was enough to bring the group to a screeching halt, her gaze fixed on the field leader as if they were old acquaintances._

*Gaah*

_The bluenette felt __nauseous as his vision spun around, clear yet disarranged memories flooding his mind._

_...The bridge?_

_...The girl?_

_...My parents' car?_

"Get a hold of yourself man," Shinji knocked the sense back into the young Arisato, "the chick's better armed than a Gundam."

_-Minato's Mindscape-_

_"You felt that, kid?" the pale Master of Death inquired, standing over the huddled form of the boy._

_"What the fuck was that!?" the junior cursed, clutching his head in agony._

_"Remember when your parents died?" the silverette summoned a mental image of a car crash._

_"His parents are dead!?" Asagi yelled in shock before retreating to a far off area of the bluenette's mind, "He is vengeance, he is the night, he is..."_

_"Okay, that wasn't fucking out of the blue," Gig said sarcastically, "well you do remember, right?"_

_"..." Minato nodded, unsure where the conversation was headed._

_"Well, I kinda remember tearing evil dragon slash the creepy kid a new one before I was put in your head," the psychopomp continued, "that robo-chick, she was there, she's the one that put me in your head. And what the redhead's dad said way back when the shit hit the fan wasn't off, I was the only one sealed in you, but the part of your world's Death that I devoured became that annoying little kid that we messed with at the dorm."_

_"Why didn't I figure this out sooner?" the sleepy youth countered._

_"I sealed your memories so you wouldn't get messed up in the head unless I was the one messing you up," the silverette answered, "could you imagine yourself as a quiet nut who'd listen to his music all day long?"_

_*BANG*_

_-Back to the Action-_

"You could have dodged that," Kurosawa said with a disappointed tone as a sharp knife-like object embedded itself onto the bluenette's ribcage.

"...What?" Minato stared at his comrades who were busy staring at the blade on his chest, "When the fuck did this happen."

"Retrieving Slash Harken," the blonde said stoically as a thin, barely visible wire pulled the knife, and the bluenette towards the mechanical maiden, "initiating 'Big Impact'."

_Aigis pulled her right arm back as the sounds of pistons and motors whirring accompanied the movement, the boy was being pulled closer and closer to the woman from his past, reflexively raising his guard._

_*CRACK*_

"Arrggh!" the boy screamed as both arms snapped from the sheer force of the punch, "Someone, shoot me!"

"Sissy," Shinji sighed, cracking his knuckles and running for the blonde, "eager for death?"

"No," Minato retorted as he managed to get a few meters away from the mechanical maiden, his shirt soaked in his own blood, "with an Evoker, my arms are broken."

"How strong is she?" Ken gasped for air after being winded by a nearby grenade blast.

"I'd be dead if I didn't block," Minato answered as the air thinned, "watch it, more Shadows on the way!"

_The bluenette's senses where as sharp as ever, as creatures of darkness crawled their way from the bottom of the stairway._

"Heads up," Shinji announced as he pulled the trigger, evoker aimed at Minato, "not even sure if it works that way."

"Thanks," the bluenette reeled from the impact, "Skeith, Data DRAIIIN!"

_Heeding its master's command, the Terror of Death struck the nearby Shadows with a powerful blast of energy, their vitality restoring the boy's arms to working condition._

"Sore as hell," Minato rubbed the area where the gaping hole in his chest was, "at least no scarring."

"Target has recovered from initial assault," the mechanical maiden stated, "beginning phase two."

"There's still more?" the bluenette complained as he dodged machine gun fire, parrying the missiles that came close to hitting him, missing a few in the process, "Shinji, get down!"

_Aragaki ignored the warning, instead, he opted to grab the missile and redirected the missile to the blonde._

"Secondary target possesses great physical strength," the blonde reported, her data feed being returned to Ikutsuki, "course of action decided, reusing tactics for extermination of Akihiko Sanada."

"What did you-!?" the gruff teen was cut off by multiple missiles and machine fire, the feminine machine's rocket propelled blade being launched, "So it was YOU!"

_The teen raged as he used Castor to detonate the missiles with physical attacks, stopping most bullets caught in the explosions._

"Aragaki-senpai!" Souji called out as he used Izanagi to electrocute three flying ball Shadows, "Damn, why can't Margaret get thru to us?"

_-Outside Tartarus-_

_Four satellite dishes were placed on the two hundredth floor of Tartarus, possessed by Shadows, these dishes block communications as one goes higher above the Dark Tower._

"So that's what's interfering with the signal," the attendant of Seta's Velvet Room said as she dropped the binoculars.

"That's too high for us to do anything," one Kirijo Group scientist said.

"I'll take care of it," the woman said as she grabbed her Compendium, "in attacking me, the enemy has declared war on my master as well as myself."

"I don't think we have any choppers or planes to get you th-," the scientist cut himself off as he witnessed the woman in blue beginning to float.

"That won't be necessary, I can manage on my own," Margaret replied as she took off for the tower's exterior.

_-Back to Tartarus-_

_Shinji was exhausted from being focused by all of the blonde's attacks head on._

"She can keep up with Senpai," the silverette coughed as he and Kurosawa healed the team of injuries.

"Damn it!" Aragaki cursed as his left hand stopped bleeding, "Those two are going at it and we're running out of time."

_Minato punched Aigis in the gut, pushing her back._

"Go down!" the junior growled at the mechanical maiden.

_The blonde took advantage of the distance and purged her external weapons, granting her a massive boost in speed, enough to get behind the bluenette and summon Palladion to skewer him at point blank range._

"Arrgh," Minato screamed as he clutched the Persona's blade.

"Minato-senpai can't hold on much longer," Ken winced at the sight.

_The rest of the group sans Shinji was preoccupied with the weaker Shadows._

_-Flashback-_

_"Promise me Shinji," a young Akihiko Sanada raised his fist in front of the loner's face._

_"What?" the gruff teen cracked his knuckles._

_"That we'll get strong," the silverette answered as he stared at the burnt orphanage, "strong enough that what happened to Miki doesn't happen to anyone else!"_

_"Quit your yelling," the younger Aragaki groaned, "like you need to tell me that."_

_-End Flashback-_

"Hey robo-bitch," Shinji clearly earned Aigis' attention as she recalled her Persona and dropped the field leader to the ground.

"New target acquired," the blonde stated passively as she prepared for close combat, "activating Orgia Mode."

_"I''m gonna keep my promise Aki," _the teen took a deep breath as power surged around him, "let's do this! ALEXANDER!"

_-END-_


	11. The King of Conquerors

-P3 Eternal Punishment-

*the modified Evoker system is like a sleeve connecting the hand to the neck and is activated by grasping the hand so like Minato's case earlier, it was necessary for the team to carry their old Evokers just in case one of their arms are broken or torn off.

_The King of Conquerors_

_With a ferocious bellow, Castor had appeared, __metamorphosing before everyone's eyes. The black steed was now a golden brown, commanding the attention of all in attendance with its majestic presence. The rider now held the aura of a king, a red cloak billowing in the absent wind, armor of cold steel and a grand sword in its right hand._

"His Persona resolved," Seta stated as he fixed his glasses.

_"Holy Shit!" _the psychopomp swore, if he had access to a face it would be slack-jawed, _"Kid, can you feel the power on this guy!?"_

"..." the bluenette cringed and took a step back as he tried to measure Shinji's newfound strength.

"That's..." the youngest member of the group mumbled in awe.

"So this is Aragaki's power..." Kurosawa said as he cut down two offending Shadows.

"Hey blondie!" the gruff teen yelled as he caught the mechanical maiden's attention.

"Reassessing threat levels," Aigis said mechanically, "switching primary target."

_The blonde turned her guns in the teen's direction, letting loose a hail of machinegun fire, forming a cloud of smoke in its wake._

"Not enough," Aragaki boasted as he came out unscathed, hammer in his left and Evoker on the right, "Persona!"

_The King of Conquerors emerged from the cloud of smoke, sword drawn and pointed at the mechanical maiden._

"Initiating evasive maneuvers," the blue-eyed 'girl' rolled sideways, weapons still firing.

_Alexander responded with a swiping attack that missed._

"Tch," Shinji muttered as he threw his weapon at the girl.

_The Persona pressed its attack by grabbing its summoner's weapon and using the hammer's momentum as well as the momentum from its own attack to deal two clean strikes at the girl._

"Woah," Ken stared in awe of the man who murdered his mother, "that power is..."

"Incredible," the silverette finished the thought the same way he finished off to downed Shadows with Izanagi.

_"He's got raw physical power that I doubt we could match," _Gig stated for the whole group to hear, _"if we were to try, we'd need a few souls for that."_

_-Meanwhile, Tartarus Exterior-_

_The Velvet Room attendant floated over the battered remains of her quarry, the signal to the interior beginning to clear up._

"Good," Margaret sighed as she wiped a stray lock of hair from her face, "{Hello, can you hear-}"

_*BANG*_

"More of them?" the woman wondered as she gazed at the direction the bullet came from.

_A small mob consisting of twenty or so people in various articles of clothing stood on one of the nearby rooftops, strangely, the group was accompanied by a horde of Shadows that formed a protective barricade around them._

"Who are they?" the pale woman wondered as she evaded the gunfire that was aimed at her.

"That woman is trying to stop the arrival of Nyx-sama!" one of the humans yelled, drawing a high powered rifle

"{Margaret?}" the voice of her beloved silverette echoed in the attendant's ears.

"{There have been some...complications}" the occupant of the Velvet Room replied mentally, opening her Compendium in preparation for a counterattack, "{I will respond to you shortly.}"

"{Just stay safe}" the human said with a concerned voice, the sound of Shadows exploding over the connection/

"{You too}" the woman replied, setting her gaze at her would be assailants, "you eyesores are nothing more than ants to me."

_A card appeared over the pale woman's book, the sound of broken glass followed as an angelic being descended from the sky._

"Megidolaon," Margaret whispered as her Persona raised its right arm towards its mouth, a falling star appeared over the human cultists.

_The screams of twisted men were drowned out by the sound of crumbling architecture._

"Perhaps their deaths would change the Night Mother's decision," the woman wondered as she worked her way inside the tower, "but we should leave nothing to chance."

_-Tartarus Interior-_

_The furious duel between man and machine went on, and with such ferocity that the group was able to traverse three floors since the battle began._

"How much longer can they keep this up?" Ken said in disbelief as he evaded stray missiles and bullets.

"There's no point in us joining in," Souji groaned at feeling helpless, "her defenses are too strong and yet he seems to have no problem in dealing with them."

"But we can stop the Shadows from 'aiding' her the way they did with Yoshino," Kurosawa interjected as he summoned a few more demons to help the group.

"Dammit," the bluenette cursed as he clutched his chest, "even after healing, it still feels like hell."

_"You didn't think spontaneous regeneration was gonna be a piece of cake, did you?" _Gig gave a bored look, _"Besides, I just figured out that your pal there managed to grab **Pierce **as his main anti-defense ability."_

"And we can't learn that yet?" Minato complained as he decided to skewer a few more Shadows on Skeith's scythe.

_"Can't, last person I met with that skill was a half-demon with weird tattoos, had a good spar one on one," _the Psychopomp revealed, _"then some guy looking like David Bowie comes up and puts a seal on me, he does this after the **Demi-fiend **and I beat the crap out of each other so we were none the wiser until I tried to learn the skill on my own."_

"Damn," the field leader swore as he drained more Shadows of their energy to feed the Onyx Blade, "then let's pump this sword up."

"That sword is feeding on the Shadows like your Persona Skeith?" the Officer muttered.

"It feeds on anything that lives," the silverette clarified as he stared wearily at the blade, "is it a good idea to have that with you Minato-senpai?"

"Nope," the bluenette replied, "but this is a weapon of absolute last resort in case we can't deal with whatever is on top."

_A loud thud caught the team's attention._

"Thanks for nothing assholes," the eldest teen scowled at the teen as he stood over the broken machine, "could have at least healed me and all."

"Critical damage has been sustained," the blonde's eyes were starting to close, "initiating energy conservation mode."

_The blonde closed her eyes as a loud beep sounded._

"..." Shinji prepared to slam his weapon over Aigis' skull.

"Stop," Minato stepped between his senpai and the strange girl from his past.

"What do you think you're doing!?" the gruff teen yelled as he lowered his hammer, "She killed 'em remember? Aki and Mitsuru!"

"What do you think you're doing!?" the bluenette repeated the question and blocked his senpai's weapon with his sword, "She was being controlled by Ikutsuki, she wasn't herself when she did, when Ken's mother died, were you!?"

"..." the senior slacker stared at the field leader's eyes, a silent air taking over the room, "Tch, fine, but she's on your hands now."

_Minato quickly hoisted the mechanical maiden over his shoulder with no effort, the boost from Skeith raising his attributes to such an extent that he was no longer human in many regards._

-_Meanwhile, Safe Zone_-

_Takaya and Ikutsuki were all that remained of Strega and they were not pleased._

"It seems that your plan has failed," Takaya said with a disappointed look.

"And so has your friend," the Chairman replied venomously, "now that Aragaki's Persona has resolved, they will be able to reach the top much faster than anticipated."

_An image of Kido, a white Shiba and three other people standing over the defeated Jin, was set on the screen._

"And so it comes down to this," the shirtless teen sighed as he left the room.

"Of course Takaya, keep dancing to the pull of my strings," Ikutsuki smirked, "my son."

_-END-_


	12. Digital Goddess Revival

-P3 Eternal Punishment-

_Port Island's last hope, a quintet assembled in a last ditch effort to make one final stand against overwhelming odds, traversed many floors since incapacitating the blonde that the field leader now brought around with him._

"Hey, you really planning on lugging the tin can all the way to the top?" the senior student raised an eyebrow as he overtook the pale Minato Arisato in order to down several Shadows with his new Persona.

"There are pieces of my memory from the night my parents died, they never made sense before, but meeting this chick..." the former bluenette hesitated, looking for the words to explain his course of action.

"It made things fall into place," Souji finished the thought, bringing out Izanagi to throttle a Gigas thru the Tower's wall, "is that it?"

"So she was there?" Ken threw out a questioning look, "During the accident, I mean."

"Gig says she was, but I can only recall our memories when we're both conscious," the leader answered, "and he's not exactly the type to give a damn about remembering things."

_"I take offense to that you little fucker!" _the Master of Death roared, _"I remember she was there, hell, I don't even know how she managed to seal me in you!"_

"That would be my doing," Kurosawa stated calmly, "the coup against the former president was planned meticulously, there was no room for error, so in the event of a sufficiently strong Shadow coming out of nowhere, the researchers managed to digitize my clan's exorcism techniques to an extent and upload the data to the Anti-Shadow Weapons they constructed."

"Wait...Weapons, as in plural?" the eldest teen shivered at the thought of having to fight more mechanical men.

"From what I've heard, most of the line was destroyed or scrapped, the last two that we faced recently were deactivated until now," the cop reassured the minors that they were safe for the time being.

_"So no more robo-bitches popping around, no problem, we can make our own," _the psychopomp scoffed,_ "I'd love to see the look on that four-eyed bastard's face when we pull that shit off."_

"You can do that?" the freshman silverette inquired, turning his gaze to a large platform just beyond the current floor's staircase, a crowd of Shadows further ahead.

_"If the Master of Death, that's me, or his numerous minions, that's you, kill anything, I gain the ability to summon similar beings with similar abilities, give or take a few points in power depending on how much of my own strength I decide to put in_. _Hell, I can even summon more of you punks, once you've been 'dominated', I can pull as many of you as I want, like the rabbit and hat thing that magicians do._"

"So you're some kind of god and the more that psycho commander here powers up, he's not really becoming stronger," Shinji's eyes slowly widened as he realized what Gig's true nature was, "you really aren't a Persona."

"He's really just gaining access to whatever power that _you _already have," Kurosawa completed.

"Then doesn't that mean you can bring back the others that were killed off by Ikutsuki and the other Persona users?" the youngest member of the team pointed out.

_"Holy shit this kid really is smart!" _Gig facepalmed, causing Minato to tumble forward from the resulting migraine, _"Sure we'd be violating the laws of nature, but I'm a rule breaker anyway."_

"Dammit!" the former bluenette cursed as he wrapped a bandage around his forehead, "Dumbass, I'm carrying the blonde who happens to be a freakin' robot here!"

_"Man up, ya pussy," _the red-eyed being blew a raspberry_, "we'd need lotsa foo-Shadows, the Onyx Blade, no Skeith before or after, since he'd compete with the sword for the power, oh and you'd have to give up use of whatever Arcana they were in life."_

"Just for clarity's sake senpai, you only need to land the killing blow on the Shadows right?" Souji asked, a glint projected from his eyes, preparing his sword for battle.

"Not really, since I'm going to hold off on Skeith, as long as we get the kill, I'll be drinkin' the spill," Minato answered, releasing Skeith's power and reverting to his original blue hair, his skin however, was still pale.

_More Shadows arrived from all possible entrances, the dispersal of the Epitaph's terrifying aura gave the lesser enemies a false sense of courage. Kurosawa unveiled one new vial, his off hand hanging onto his service firearm. Ken took a defensive stance with his lance, hand ready to make the necessary twitch to bring forth Nemesis. Souji Seta calmly sheathed his blade, ready to execute a batou-jutsu maneuver like in some obscure anime. Shinjiro Aragaki cracked his knuckles and made an offensive gesture at a crowd of Shadows before lifting a mace designed like a skull, an object found several minutes earlier when the team was rushing thru the oddly placed staircases of the ever shifting Tartarus._

"Go down!" Shinji roared, crushing one Shadow, as well as cracking the floor beneath it, with a mighty swing.

"Take this!" Ken made a thrust with his weapon, his Persona following thru with a Zionga in synchronization, forcibly frying the enemy with a well-timed strike.

"Asagi!" Minato balled his hands into a fist, his personal configuration for his sleeve-type Evoker, summoning the Main Character(?) to unleash a Vile Assault on a Scale-type Shadow.

"Alice," the policeman said under his breath, unleashing the being held within one of his vials.

_The summoned demon looked cheerful, if not eerie for how out of place she seemed in the situation._

"Will you **die for me**?" the blonde girl said with the warmest of smiles, bringing down creatures from a fantasy world on the Shadows, a great many of them falling at that single attack.

"Leave the rest to me," the silverette grunted, not needing an Evoker, instead focusing his will and turning it into power, causing a brilliant light to flash briefly, "Yoshitsune!"

_A warrior garbed in red walked out of the blinding light, and as if on a whim, imitated his summoner's stance, both fighters twitched in a strange coordination, blinking and even breathing as one being._

"Hassou Tobi!" Souji made a quick slash with his blade, as did the warlord of ancient Japan.

_A ring of red soon surrounded the battlefield, sudden pangs against walls and posts, splishes and sploshes against the glob-like innards of the Shadows, and quick, but irritating pangs against those that were immune to the vicious attack._

_"Hey kid, remember that red guy's name, we need, REALLY NEED, to get one of those," _Gig chuckled_, "the rest seem to be immune to physical strikes, because seriously, how else do you live against that!?"_

"Got it," the sleepy teen nodded, balling his hand once more, "Asagi!"

_The character of unfortunate circumstance appeared once more, with a cannon far larger than herself in tow. The other humans took note of the weapon's size and decided it would be best to huddle around Minato while the kooky Persona(?) proceeded to attack._

"Magic Shot Mk. II(Megidolaon)!" the quirky girl yelled, firing a condensed stream of light that launched several smaller streams that locked onto other Shadows.

_The design of the immediate area became murky, in no small part due to the massive energy discharge that left the place in shambles with the scent of scorched earth wafting about._

_"Yeah, that should be enough power...for one revival," _the Master of Death claimed dryly, disappointment lining his voice, "_I was expecting a lot more of 'em though._"

{Sorry, that would be my fault,} Margaret apologized, floating down from the floor above, {seeing as I'm not exactly human, and the limits of your power in your current state, your ability to 'dominate' my soul was simply insufficient.}

"That means that you killed the ones that got in your way, doesn't it?" Minato groaned, rubbing his head from the strain of Asagi's ultimate attack, "Have to remember that I'm fully human without Skeith."

"You seem troubled," the silverette noted as the woman's eyes emitted a slight feeling of _sadness _around them.

{It seems there are more people that willingly serve Nyx,} the woman reported telepathically, {I dealt with a small group outside, but I believe that the treacherous one you speak of may have recruited a much larger force over the years.}

"That seems to coincide with a lot of strange individuals that simply moved into the island," Kurosawa analyzed, "we'll need to exercise caution, a lot of them are well connected, they may be well-armed or even have access to Personae."

{Most of them are outside, and Kido-san seems to have the assistance of his old colleagues,} the attendant of the Velvet room smiled warmly at her beloved, {It is advisable to make your first revival now to avoid excessive buildup of energy that your body won't be able to handle later on.}

_"Let's make it count then," _Gig announced, _"Not the boxer since the kid with the overgrown toothpick here has electricity covered."_

"Not Iori either, I've got fire covered," the cop pulled out a red vial from his coat, "and Aragaki simply hits harder at the moment."

"Takeba would be the ideal choice then," Minato said after a moment of silence, "she covers our issues with range, we don't really have strong wind abilities and Mitsuru-senpai would be a front-line fighter...which all of us are."

_The group nodded at the logic, clustering at an area where no Shadows were in sight. Margaret made a quick scan, noting that the group had made it in record time, the top of the tower was much closer now._

"Resurrection!" Minato/Gig yelled out, the Onyx Blade leaking energy to the area around it.

_A white light flashes before the group's eyes, all except Margaret turned away. A prone form lay before them, unconscious, but alive, a strong bow made of oak lay in her hands._

-END-

AN: So yeah, I'm kicking things up a notch.

-The revivals aren't 100%, they have their limits, but I'll explain more as the story goes on

-Souji can summon all the tier 3 Personae of his S. Links at the Investigation Team, albeit weaker by a small margin, except Rise for obvious reasons, he will only have 12, the rest will be revealed later on

-Ken will be focused on soon, I'll be taking liberties with his character, and I may change his resolved Persona

_-Stat Sheet-_

_Alexander, King of Conquerors_

_Resist: Physical_

_Weak: None_

_Passive: Death or Glory! (apply Heat Riser to self when near death)_

_Skills:_

_Regenerate 3_

_High Counter_

_Power Charge_

_God Hand_

_Akasha Arts_

_Endure_

**_Pierce (ignores defensive abilities except -rakarn skills)_**

**_Conqueror's Aura (chance to Fear enemies when attacking/attacked or KO'ing Shadows)_**

_-END-_


	13. Abrupt Completion

_This is the End_

1. This is the conclusion of the P3:EP series, originally intended to be at least 12 chapters longer, but I will tie-up all the loose ends here and now.

2. May or may not lead into one more story depending on the status of the other projects.

* * *

><p>-Yukari wakes up, however, her hair and eye color now match Gig's, the group proceeds towards the top of Tartarus.<p>

-The heroes from P1 and P2 that managed to make it to Port Island meet up and Margaret manages to open the door to Monad.

-As the race against time continues, Yukari finds out that she no longer needs her Evoker to summon her Persona and that she absorbs Wind-type spells.

-The old generation Persona users make it to the 3rd level of Monad and stop to face a **Mysterious Entity.**

-The team heading for the top are assaulted by a horde of Shadows and another ASW (Labrys), and she manages to separate Shinji from the Group.

-The **Mysterious Entity **attacks one of Monad's walls, forcing the entire tower to shake and splitting the old generation into two groups.

-Minato and his group sans Shinji manage to survive against the horde, Minato manages to revive Akihiko who, like Yukari, now shares Gig's hair and eye color.

-Shinji manages to disarm Labrys, but neither can land a decisive blow.

-The **Mysterious Entity **retreats, but not before commenting that neither he nor Philemon can change the course of things at this point.

-Shinji continues to fight Labrys, but even his Physical resistance coupled with Regeneration can't keep up with the latter's Orgia mode.

-Minato's group proceed without Shinji, Akihiko doesn't object causing Ken and Kurosawa to be suspicious about the nature of the resurrections Minato performs.

-Externally, pieces of Tartarus fall to the nearby area, causing some minor damage, but more importantly, Shadows to pop out.

-The P1 team reach the 5th floor of Monad where more Shadows plus an inexplicably revived Magician attempt to stop them

-Nanjo sacrifices himself to destroy the Magician and the portal to the next floor after the others manage to get through.

-Ikutsuki manually overrides Labrys' priorities to eliminate Aigis before the blonde reactivates because her defeat severed his link to her.

-Minato/Gig pull forth even more power from the Onyx Blade, lesser Shadows now run from the team, Aki and Yukari are noticeably become more violent against the Shadows.

-The P2 team manage to reach the 5th floor of Monad and find a hollow void where Kei committed his sacrifice, the team uses the Grand Cross Fusion attack to tear open a hole that leads into the next floor, but lose a considerable deal of their reserve power.

-Labrys receives her orders from Ikutsuki, grabbing her rocket ax and using the massive thrust to break through the ceilings of each floor as she tracks Aigis, Shinji follows after her.

-Minato's team run into Sho Minazuki who insults them before leaving, enigmatically calling Ken, 'brother'.

-The P1 team reach a dead end with Shadows approaching in every side, the group decide to fight to the bitter end in Kei's honor.

-Souji gets a massive headache and is incapacitated as a revived Lovers Shadow arrives.

-Labrys is given a new program titled **'****CthdrlOShdws'** that converts Shadows weaker than her into energy, many of the Shadows that were displaced when Minato drew more of the Onyx Blade's power into the world met their end in this manner.

-Shinji lags behind Labrys, but his Regeneration is slowly bringing him back to fighting condition.

-Lovers manages to possess Souji (turning him into 'Brotagonist') ensuing in a Wild Card duel, Kurosawa and Ken as well as the revived Aki and Yukari are pushed back by an invisible wall, Aigis is still unconscious, but trapped in the wall.

-The P2 team are assaulted by Sho Minazuki who after being defeated, attacks a crack in the wall (a result of the **Mysterious Entity's **earlier attack) before escaping once more, the room starts to collapse.

-Margaret notices the Shadows out of Tartarus attacking the civilian populace, she despairs that even she cannot save everyone and sends a message to Igor for reinforcements.

-A door to the Velvet Room opens up for the P1 team, allowing them a reprieve from the endless wave of Shadows, however, the team is injured with Masao having lost the use of his right arm and Eri has a straight cut across her face, Igor tells them of the need to rescue the civilians outside the Tower and that sending them out will be his last act in the 'world at its current state'.

-Aigis slowly starts rebooting as Shadows attempt to break thru the barrier made by the Lovers Shadow, Ken and Kurosawa move in to attack.

-Minato struggles against Souji as the latter is also being empowered by Gig, the bond between contractor (Gig) and contracted (Souji) being unbreakable, Minato must fight with his own power and not whatever he had been given as a result of Gig.

-Labrys nears the team, but is temporarily stopped by Sho who shreds her armor, the reduced mass causing her to quickly overload her reactor (the assimilation program is limited by the mass of the user), the excess energy causes her to amalgamate with her current Persona, Asterius, gaining even more strength and resilience at the cost of her speed, she drops her ax and continues towards Minato's group.

-Masao and Eri volunteer to return to the surface, with Maki and Uesegi agreeing to join them, Igor thinks back to when the group was younger and smiles as he sends the four out of Tartarus, the rest are able to proceed.

-Both P1 and P2 teams reunite, but the area is still collapsing, Jun uses his time powers to allow everyone to move through to the last floor, he says goodbye to Tatsuya and Maya as he runs out of power to stave off the collapse and is devoured by the abyss.

-Minato manages to beat Souji by recalling the unspeakable events of Kyoto, causing Lovers' hold over Souji to sway long enough for Minato to suckerpunch the Arcana Shadow out of Souji's head.

-The 4 P1 members meet up with Margaret and they run a boss rush against the unfought Arcana Shadows.

-Shinji finds Labrys' rocket-ax and decides to use it, managing to wield it without any problems as a result of Alexander's tremendous strength and Regeneration.

-The combined P1 and P2 teams reach the very end where they find Philemon who grimly notes that this could very well be the end of the world, but expresses his pride at their growth as people and Persona users, he gives them an offer that will allow them to aid the new generation for the final battle and both teams accept, losing their Wild Card ability and restricting them to their true Personae.

-Labrys reaches the barrier and knocks both Kurosawa and Ken aside before she starts attacking the barrier, Akihiko and Takeba attempt to knock her down but their attacks are ineffective, the strain of simultaneously maintaining the barrier as well as fighting Minato and Souji leads to Lovers' defeat.

-Margaret notices that a Wild Card has been awakened from within the Tower and that someone else with the 'potential' is starting to stir.

-Sho Minazuki appears before Takeharu Kirijo and starts mocking him, the businessman attacks with a Persona suppression device, but it has no effect, the redheaded teen laughs it off before returning to Tartarus, not before he destroys the communications array that was coordinating the defense of the city.

-Aigis completes rebooting just as Labrys breaks through the fallen Lovers' barrier, the blonde ASW manages to summon Cu Chulainn, Nezha and Susano-o in succession for a brutal series of attacks, but the older ASW manages to shake it off thru sheer force of will and begins her counterattack.

-The door to Monad begins to close as the combined older generations fight their way out.

-Shinji arrives in time to deliver a rocket-ax straight through the bull-like Asterius/Labrys hybrid, bifurcating the girl in one quick swipe as Aigis delivers an Orgia mode empowered punch to the older model's face.

-The P2 team resort to one more Grand Cross, Jun's Persona having remained with them in spirit, to clear the way, they escape, but the P2 team can no longer fight from the exhaustion.

-Having attained a temporary victory, Minato uses the power gained from Lovers to perform a resurrection to bring back Mitsuru, however, the heiress' personality has taken a strange turn as she addresses the empowered youth like one would a lover, Kurosawa notes this down. Souji is still unconscious, and Shinji carries him over his shoulder.

-The defense forces are suffering heavy losses from the lack of coordination, Fuuka Yamagishi suddenly senses the presence of nearby Shadows that have been alerted to her awakening, she runs immediately.

-The team, now complete, moves forward, but Shinji can't understand why Aki is being friendly, instead expecting the boxer to through several jabs, verbal and physical, at him before they settled their differences for real. Takaya and Sho watch from the sidelines as they prepare for battle, Ikutsuki makes several mysterious remarks about the Fall being more than what even Nyx had imagined.

-Kurosawa meets with Ken and Shinji and they start corroborating what they know, Minato begins to have his doubts about the revivals as the resurrected Mitsuru latches onto his arm like a lovesick puppy and Aigis on his opposite end, but not before reviving Junpei outside the tower at its 50th floor.

-Fuuka trips and is about to be devoured before Margaret and the four P1 members come to her aid, the woman from the Velvet room immediately discerns Fuuka's abilities and amplifies her sensory skills, at the cost of her active combat ability, to help coordinate the defenders. The group slowly retreat so Fuuka can get to a safer zone.

-Minato starts to ask Gig about what he did for their fallen friends before Takaya manages to shoot Kurosawa several times, the officer protected by his inner Kevlar vest, but losing most of his tubes in the process. Sho proceeds to duel Ken as Ikutsuki finally makes his appearance.

-Fuuka falls unconscious from the strain of her powers, but the older generations finally break out of Tartarus and help in the Island's defense. Meanwhile, Junpei drops from the 50th floor onto a group of Nyx cultists, even unarmed, the boy is more than a match for them.

-Ikutsuki commends Minato for holding onto Gig for so long and summons his own Persona, Thanatos.

-Kurosawa proceeds to charge against Takaya with Shinji and Aki as his backup, but not before the ground between them and Minato separates and the sound of chains grows louder with each passing second.

-Before they fight, Ikutsuki reveals that he fathered Ken after failing to induce the potential in his pre-Strega research and that he orchestrated Shinji going rampant and killing Ken's mother as she was about to reveal the boy's parentage, Ken and Shinji go into a rage at this revelation and begin to gun for Ikutsuki.

-Minato vows to kill Ikutsuki on everyone's behalf and launches the first attack with Skeith's scythe, but Thanatos skillfully blocks it before admitting that he had held back in their first (comedic) meeting out of courtesy before countering with a Vorpal Blade.

-Takaya lays covering fire for Ikutsuki, forcing Mitsuru and Takeba away from Minato. Aigis shield Minato from several shots, saying 'You are my highest priority'. The bluenette clutches his head for a moment as memories begin to flood in, but is cut off by Gig telling him to dodge.

-Sho engages Takeba and Mitsuru as soon as Ken had retreated, noting that the two women fight pretty well for puppets.

-Kurosawa and Akihiko manage to reach Takaya, forcing the shirtless man to stop assisting Ikutsuki. Kurosawa shows the nihilist what it means to have the same blood as the Kuzonoha clan by soundly thrashing Takaya without any demonic assistance. The gunman simply smirks and summons his Persona, forcing Aki to join the fight.

-Minato and Ikutsuki are evenly matched while Aigis detects another presence moving towards the group.

-Junpei manages to reach a shelter just as cultists were about to set it on fire, here, he meets up with Tatsuya and Katsuya Suou, both of whom, continue to fight even without their Personae.

-Sho loses an arm, but manages to re-kill Takeba, Mitsuru is furious and manages to get passed the boy's defenses and is positioned to stab him in the heart. At this point, Sho's MINAZUKI personality awakens and manages to summon Tsukiyomi to create a black wall of flame.

-Takaya struggles against two opponents but manages to hit Aki's right shoulder, halving the boxer's combat strength. Kurosawa manages to use his last intact tube, summoning Masakado to corner the gunman. The sound of rattling chains suddenly stops before a massive gunshot is heard.

-Minato is distracted by the loud gunshot and is maimed by Thanatos, losing control of Skeith and regressing to his normal blue hair (now a very pale blue as a result of Gig's influence) and greatly reduced power level, Aigis engages Ikutsuki to give Minato time to recover, but his recovery is hampered by more memories from the past begin to flood in.

-MINAZUKI and Mitsuru are evenly matched, and the former begins to go on a monologue on how the Kirijo are the cause for all the suffering, Mitsuru ignores this and continues fighting until both are struck down by a second thunderous gunshot.

-Aki and Kurosawa stand still as they gauge the new arrival (Reaper) that just killed Takaya and Mitsuru, neither of them are in any condition to fight and wisely go for a tactical retreat, the Reaper sets his sights on Akihiko and pulls the trigger one more time.

-Shinji and Ken are still running for Ikutsuki, but are continuously bogged down by Shadows and obstacles popping out of nowhere. Shinji hesitates as he hears Akihiko's death cry, but Ken keeps moving forward.

-Maki manages to get Fuuka to wake via a combination of medicine and healing spells. The younger Persona user resumes coordinating the defense efforts. Most of the cultists and Shadows have been defeated and the green skies are slowly starting to brighten up.

-Minato switches to Orpheus, now brimming with greater power than when first summoned, and strike Ikutsuki and Thanatos respectively. The god of death coughs out black ichor as he curses at Gig for disturbing the balance. Aigis is about to land a fatal shot at Ikutsuki before Ken's spear lands square in the bad comedian's chest, finally avenging his mother. The blonde's eyes widen as she mutters, "I remember everything."

-Shinji tries to wake Akihiko, but is distressed that his friend isn't responding, Kurosawa tries to snap him out of it even as the Reaper looms over their heads. The delinquent stares down the supernatural gunman but both he and Kurosawa are surprised that the Reaper lowered its weapons and moved on.

-Ikutsuki laughs maniacally as he draws his final breaths, thanking Thanatos for lending him his power and telling Minato that Gig is the final solution.

-Souji regains consciousness and knocks Aigis out of the way as the Reaper shoots Minato, leaving a hole in the boy's chest. Souji coldly comments, "Something like you doesn't belong here."

-Shinji, Kurosawa and Ken stare at the Reaper, waiting for any sign of continued hostility, but Minato rises, his hair graying and his eyes becoming blood red...before Gig manifests itself and the boy is left with a gaping hole in his chest. Aigis immediately runs to his side while Souji begins to mend his wounds using Amaterasu.

-Gig laughs and says "Damn four-eyed fucker was actually pretty entertaining, bet he didn't think he'd be the big joke in all this." The remaining members of the team are unnerved just as Gig turns towards the Reaper. Aigis comes close to breaking down at the raw pressure that both psychopomps exude and she scurries into a corner.

-Takeharu commends Fuuka and the other Persona users as the city is finally saved, but looks darkly towards Tartarus as it shows no signs of being torn down anytime soon.

-Minato cries out for an explanation as the wound on his chest slowly heals and Gig laughs once more before obliging him. "Why don't you ask your little blonde sexbot over there?"

-Junpei clutches his heart as he feels a massive pulse of power before collapsing, Katsuya and Tatsuya drag him to a safe place.

-Aigis stares at the ridiculously powerful being before averting her eyes, fixing her gaze on Minato and saying "Remember that night, remember who stood where." The gears in Minato's head begin to turn as he finally understands what was under his nose the entire time. "You were the one that killed them."

-Kurosawa, Ken and Shinji continue to look on while Souji was too busy focusing on his senpai's wounds. Aigis sobs as she is forced to face her inadequate power once more.

-"Ding, ding, ding! We have a fuckin' winner!" the Master of Death chuckles at the youth's expense, explaining that he was merely using Gig as an alias and that he was never really the Master of Death...Because he killed that person many years ago, back when he was known as the Devourlord, Revya.

-Junpei wakes up with the Suou brothers and a few other Persona users around him, he feels a sudden urge to kill them all, but fights it, before finally uttering "Screw this! I'm not gonna be some puppet." and stabbing himself with a sword and warning the others that the fight is not yet over.

-Souji yells that what Gig, or rather, the Devourlord has done is unforgivable and has set the world down a darker path. The psychopomp laughs it off and says all worlds he goes to merely exist to alleviate his boredom. Kurosawa can't forgive this and orders Masakado to attack, only for the Guardian Demon to be destroyed in an instant. The Reaper stands quietly as the cause of all the madness continued his diatribe.

-Aigis attempts to make an attack as well, in spite of her knowledge of its futility, using her recently acquired Wild Card. Souji back it up and they do manage to damage the Devourlord, forcing the monster to take them seriously and striking at them with a Brave Blade.

-Minato can do nothing but look on in horror as he's powerless to do anything. Ken stands resolute and inspires Shinji into fighting the unholy being standing before them, not as an order, but an act of their own free will. This act causes Nemesis to transcend into Kala-Nemi and the transfiguration resonates with the other Persona users, completely severing the Devourlord's Dominion over them.

-Devourlord/Revya becomes pissed as he approaches Tartarus' roof, calmly telling the Reaper that he'll play by the world's rules for a little while, satisfying the gunman enough for it to dematerialize, but not before leaving a black shard by the recovering Minato's side.

-Souji yells out "A monster like you doesn't deserve to draw breath in this world!" *Cue Psycho Burgundy BGM* and leads the others into one last charge against the Master of Death as the latter begins to command the moon to fall to the earth.

-"It's a massive pain to have to follow someone else's rules, but at least I get to co-opt the moon into all your asses!" Minato frowns as he realizes that strong as his companions may be, they won't be enough to take down Revya in time to stop the moon. The bluenette musters all of his remaining strength and hears a voice much like Gig's, but it was soothing and gave him a sense of calm. _"I am Vigilance, please allow me to right what was set wrong. I am the good that once remained in that monster's heart."_

_-_Aigis goes into a full combination of every Arcana followed by Kurosawa brandishing his sword at lightning fast draws and a dual attack by Ken and Shinji. Souji unleashes Izanagi, but his ultimate attack falls short, like it had yet to be completed. The entity formerly addressed as Gig fires off an energy blast and takes Aigis' left hand clean off. At this junction, Minato's had enough and yells out, "Vigilance!"

-Revya shakes at hearing that name as his former host summons a being eerily similar to Gig in appearance, but held no menacing weapons. "What do you expect that fucker with a stick up his ass to do, pacify me to death?!" Vigilance does not dignify it with a response and flies past him towards the sky.

-Margaret floats just outsude the tip of the Dark Tower where everyone is fighting and notes how small a single life is while she stares at the world below.

-Vigilance pleads to Nyx on the burden of marshaling death in a world where individual desires exist and imparts his memory to the Night Mother as the moon slows its decent.

-The Devourlord panics and rises to stop the true Master of Death, but is halted by a second Psycho Burgundy from Souji. The highschooler hits hard enough to cause the enemy to stagger but he flies out of Tartarus. Margaret catches him in time and murmurs that it's all up to Minato at this point.

-Minato watches in awe, his mortal mind can't comprehend in full what Vigilance is doing, but he knows it's enough to change how this story ends. Revya frowns and attempts an attack against the bluenette to sever Vigilance's link to the world, but Aigis tackles him away using her Wild Card to grant her the strength of Thor.

-Shinji roars and uses a Power Charged God Hand against the Devourlord just after Aigis' tackle, slamming the demonic being to the ground. Ken uses his enhanced Persona to launch a series of lightning empowered thrusts against the downed Devourlord, ending with a chain detonation of Hama attacks. Kurosawa follows suit with a few more cuts and an emergency vial which summoned a divine being known as Metatron, said divine being stared at the battered psychopomp and deemed it unworthy, staring at Revya some more until laser beams came out of its eyes. The laser beams then exploded in a magnificent aurora, topped only by Minato walking towards the gravely injured omnicidal maniac and daring to do what no one else had at that point. Punch him in the face.

-Vigilance completes his dialog with Nyx and the moon pulls back as Tartarus begins to revert into Gekkoukan, the long night is over. Revya laughs as he admits "Took several dozen tries 'til I finally raised one that could finally beat me." Minato doesn't respond, instead, he looks in discuss as Aigis draws a a small cylinder labeled 'Thermite' from one of her numerous compartments, and ignites it over the self-proclaimed Master of Death, ending the multiversal threat of the Devourlord, Revya.

-The team relaxes as they return to the city, the many survivors cheering them on. Minato keeps quiet, his worldview being shattered as a surge of emotions, guilt for all his mistakes and misdeeds, shame at the atrocities he had committed under Revya's influence, flooded his mind. _"Is this your doing, Vigilance?" _the boy thinks, but the true Master of Death only frowns in his reply: _"My...other self imposed his twisted worldview upon you. While it saddens me that you are in pain, I am also glad because it means that you have retained your humanity."_

-Margaret manages to summon Elizabeth, a final order to her from Igor as the Velvet Room locked itself for all of time to come. The somewhat injured younger sister looks inquisitively at the now purposeless ASW who often stared at the boy she had claimed for herself and smiles, "You and I will get along just fine." Aigis stares in wonder as Elizabeth slowly moved towards her, somehow giving her a deeper understanding of the elevator attendant with each step the woman took until they stood in the same physical place, but conceptually they started filling out the missing and broken parts of the other until what remained was neither Aigis nor Elizabeth and yet was someone more than the sum of her rather peculiar parts. Margaret smiles as she thinks to herself, _"Perhaps Sera would be a beautiful new name to call you by, sister."_

* * *

><p>*Epilogue*<p>

-Takeharu mourned his loss for several weeks before working extensively on reconstruction of the city. Shinji and Ken returned to school with a new lease on life, letting go of their anger, both planning to learn under Kurosawa's instructions in their future. As for Kurosawa, he was commended by his family and elevated to the main branch of the family as well as several promotions in the precinct.

-The old generation of Persona users held a private ceremony for their fallen, inviting only those who took part in the assault on Tartarus and other loved ones. They looked at Aigis and gave genuine smiles as they saw the Wild Card take refuge in a powerful heart, however mechanical it may be.

-Souji and Margaret moved to Inaba with Souji's uncle and little cousin, both gaining scholarships from the Kirijo Group for their heroism in the day marked as **'Falling Sky'. **Margaret eventually learned about the truth behind Kyoto and rubbed it along with _two other somethings _in Souji's face whenever he made her upset.

-As for our hero, Minato took time off with Aigis to reorient himself with being a part of the human race after being so numb to feeling for so long. Vigilance swore an oath to remain by his side in this life, to rectify what Revya had done to the bluenette. Sera, made of two beings that were drawn to what he was beneath the darkness, even when he himself could not see it, stood ever beside him in a combination of love and admiration for the potential he held within himself.

-The dark shard the Reaper dropped, you ask? Why a piece of oblivion that could lead to a fresh start. But, that is not important in **this** story, for it is finally complete.


End file.
